Scenes From an Irish Diner
by myboygeorge
Summary: Things are tense in the Esposito household, and just when there's a chance for them to get back to normal, Esposito and Meredeth face their biggest test yet.  Crumbsian, M for language and later romance scenes.
1. Tension Rising

_Hello all once again, hope you don't feel like I've screwed you out a little here, I WILL get to the other two stories mentioned in this opening chapter, I promise but I have the unshakeable need to tell this story first, and overlap the other ones with it. Hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

><p>'Mere, are you sure you're up for this?'<p>

Meredeth's hand paused with her lipstick wand in hand, looked in the mirror at her husband. 'Why wouldn't I be?'

'Well-'

'Just because we've been trying for so damn long to have another baby, and we have to go to Carey's birthday party where we'll see Lanie's new little dumpling of pooping joy?'

'That,' Esposito finished lamely as he slicked on Speed Stick, scratched the top of his head as he tried to make sense of his wife's battered ego.

It was not a fun time right now in their household, not with Meredeth being so cranky about the lack of reproduction happening. Or rather, the lack of reproduction happening to her. There was little he could do to help the fact that no matter how many times they did it, no matter how many ovulation sticks or home pregnancy tests his sweet bride peed on, they were still striking out on a fourth baby. Though Esposito himself was frustrated, but he knew whatever he was feeling was a fraction of whatever was going on with Meredeth. It was her body, after all, and he knew despite the fact they already had three gorgeous babies, the fact they were trying once more and they weren't successful made her feel like an utter failure as a woman.

Looking at his hands, Esposito studied the band with its inscription - For You I Will; it had been their wedding song and it had been the words they'd decided to engrave, to remind each other of that promise day in and day out. Though Esposito and Meredeth knew it would take a lot more for them to be facing serious marriage problems, both knew this was one of those 'through good and bad' times they'd promised to have each others' backs in their marriage vows.

'Javi?'

'Sorry, what?'

'Can you make sure the kids are ready to go?'

'Yeah, you got it.'

He went into Tessi's room and wasn't surprised to find her ready to go - she was sitting on the end of her bed looking at one of her picture books with her beloved stuffed turtle Crush; on the floor beside her shoes was her back-pack ready to go with her. 'Hey princess, what are you reading?'

'We are readin' _When The Sun Goes Down_, Daddy,' she replied, blue eyes merry. 'C-Crush isn't c-coming today, he has a c-cold.'

'Wow, listen to you big girl with those hard c's. How many is that in a sentence?'

'Thuh-ree, Daddy. My best is five in one whole sentence.'

'That's an impressive record. Crush,' Esposito said, knowing his duty as a father and addressing his daughter's toy, 'you stay in bed and have lots of hot tea and chicken soup.'

'He likes little noodles in his soup, like me Daddy,' Tessi informed her father.

'Then he's got good taste. Let's go check on that brother and sister of yours.'

As Esposito anticipated, when he reached the twins' room, it looked like a bomb had gone off which meant only one thing - Trini had tried to dress herself and her brother. She stood in the middle of the room with the clothes tumbling willy-nilly, naked but for her diaper and standing beside her brother who was dressed the same.

'Daddy! We findin' c'othes!'

'I see that,' he replied with a dry laugh. 'Were you looking for something in particular, Katrina, or did a hurricane blow through?'

'Huh-kin Tee-nee comin', Daddy!' Leo giggle, twisting side-to-side. 'Wash out! Gonna getcha!'

'I think she's already arrived.'

Esposito knelt to scoop up the worst of the damage, sorted through to find clean clothes for them both and was satisfied when he not only managed to find them in a relatively short time but the twins also kind of matched - Trini was in a cute little sundress of Hawaiian flowers while Leo was in a pair of denim shorts and his beloved 'Nalu' shirt, a birthday gift from Andrea and Daniel when they'd gone to Hawaii for their eight-month wedding anniversary. When he was sure they would meet with their mami's approval, he fastened on shoes and held out his hands.

'Take me to your leader,' he told them in the nasal alien voice that always made them go squirrelly with laughter.

'O-kay, Daddy! We gon' rock-it!' Trini declared, slapping her tiny palm against her father's.

'Rock, rock, rock,' Leo added. 'See 'Sa?'

'Yes, I'm sure Nessa will be there, Romeo.' Esposito shook his head. Every last one of his children was in a love triangle of some kind or another, it seemed, and briefly he wondered if Castle had every thought of doing a book about all their kids and the Skull-and-Bones nature of their secret society.

Leaving the twins' room, they found Tessi and Meredeth at the bottom of the stairs, where Tessi was Velcro-ing the straps of her big-girl shoes down; her trust back-pack was slung over her left shoulder.

'Your girls are ready to go, Daddy!' she said proudly, and while Esposito's smile was warm and genuine for his oldest daughter, there was a worried light in his eyes as he saw the effort it took for Meredeth to smile back at him. He wanted to fix this for her, so badly, and yet there wasn't a damn thing he could do. They'd had the tests before and they'd all come back clean - there was no reason that their egg and sperm shouldn't have been whisked together by now, at least no medical reason that had come back on the tests. Both were still healthy and fertile so it was just a matter of good timing.

'Hey,' he said, giving Meredeth a kiss. 'I love you.'

'I love you too, Javi.'

* * *

><p>Meredeth tried to get herself into a party mood and for awhile, it was easy enough to forget the fact her uterus was playing keep-away with her husband's sperm on her poor little I-just-want-to-be-a-mama-one-more-time eggs. Lanie and Dave had been in Anaheim for the Stanley Cup playoffs to watch Oscar's boys battle for a berth to the finals against the ever-gnarly Vancouver Canucks, so Carey's birthday party in New York had been delayed until now.<p>

When they arrived at the Parrish-Robbins apartment, she felt a sick punch to the gut as Lanie opened the door with three-month old Finn on her hip, blinking dark brown eyes that matched his mother's while sucking heroically on his pacifier, and Esposito thought of the story behind the little Italian-Canadian-Domincan-American's very Irish name: Finn was named after the hockey player Tel Finneran who had been in town in March with Lanie's father and his hockey team; he'd been keeping Lanie and the kids company while Dave was at work, and she'd begun having painful contractions. Tel had leaped into action right away, and stayed with the children while Lanie had been tended to in the hospital ER and keeping Dave calm when he was told upon his arrival that Lanie was having an emergency C-section in order to safely deliver their baby. Dave had sworn him a promise that if Lanie and the baby made it through safely with no complications that they'd name the baby after him and sure enough they did - the bouncing baby boy had been christened Zachariah Finneran, with Carey and Violet calling him Finn for short.

Now, at just a few days past three months, both mother and baby seemed to be flourishing,

'Hey guys, come on in!' Lanie greeted them warmly. 'Mister Finn here just woke up from his nap and I know there's a couple others his size excited to see you guys, Tessi and Trini and Leo.'

'We buh-rought a puh-resent,' Tessi said politely. 'Well, it's really three little things, one from each of us.'

'I pick it!' Trini said, stroking the shiny blue and green bag. 'Me an' Leo 'gedder.'

'You did? Did you hear that, Finn?' Lanie looked at her new baby boy, puckering at his cheek to make him giggle. 'They picked it out together.'

'Where can a grown-up find a drink around here?' Esposito asked, as Meredeth ushered their little herd into the living room.

'In the kitchen, but...' Lanie lowered her voice, studied Meredeth with concern. 'How's she doing?'

'Not good,' he replied honestly. 'It's really taking a toll on her.'

'Oh man.' Lanie gnawed her lip, wondering how the hell she could help her friend. 'Is there anything I can do?'

'Nope. Not a damn thing. I'm starting to run out of ideas with her too.'

Meredeth watched her husband with Lanie and wanted to snarl; she could understand much better Andrea's frustration now at Lanie being pissy over her body. The woman had disgusting metabolism - she was already shrinking back to her pre-baby weight

'Meredeth!' The birthday boy himself came on over and gave her a huge hug. 'You came! I have to ask you a question. A comic-book question.'

'Okay,' she laughed.

'Why does Hulk tear his shirt and not his pants when he gets angry?'

'If you can answer that question, my birthday man, you will make millions of Hulk comic readers very very happy people.'

'Maybe I can do that after I help people fix their eyes,' Carey pondered aloud with a serious face, then gave Meredeth one more hug. 'Come on, twins, time to go have fun without the grown-ups!'

Meredeth could only laugh as the twins toddled off with their buddy, and she went into the kitchen to find a drink. It was so warm out and she was constantly thirsty lately, and peeing it out like a racehorse all the goddamn time, too. As she poured herself four glasses of punch in a row she made polite conversation with Lili and Honey-Milk; she knew both of them were trying to find anything to discuss but the baby situation, and for the first time in their relationship it honestly felt like work. Meredeth was just starting to wonder if it would be too embarrassing to ask Lanie or Dave for a two-litre bottle of club soda just for herself, she saw Beckett wander into the kitchen, the sounds of her husband and son out in the living room with the other kids. One look at the woman's face and Meredeth was ready to burst into tears - she knew that look at a thousand paces, there was nothing like it on earth.

'Hey guys,' Beckett greeted them with a grin, the cat plucking feathers from her teeth with canary bones. 'How's it going?'

'Not as well, as you from the look of that grin,' Honey-Milk said; she too recognized the grin. 'I take it you're day is going well so far?'

'_Our_ day is just dandy.' Beckett patted her flat stomach. 'Not a drop of morning sickness yet. Four in a row, in fact.'

'Eeeee!' Lili's squeal of delight could have shattered concrete. 'Oh yea Katie! Yea for babies! When?'

'Next January, around the twentieth.'

'Oh, congratulations girl,' Meredeth said in a light voice; it was something she'd trained herself to do for years when first on the road with book tours so that when she called Constance, the woman wouldn't be able to hear it if she'd had a night terror. No one would be able to guess from that tone that she felt like she'd been kicked in the face with her mouth open. 'You are going to be a great mom again.'

'Hey, how did you tell RJ?' Honey-Milk asked eagerly. 'I bet he's just thrilled.'

'Oh, can we hold onto that story?' Meredeth feigned a squirm, though not by much. 'I just guzzled down a huge thing of punch and need the bathroom something fierce.'

'Go in Lanie and Dave's bedroom,' Beckett suggested, 'they've been saving the main one for all the kids.'

'Got it.'

Meredeth slipped away from the crush of people, into the master bedroom's ensuite and shutting the door, she sat down on the edge of the tub, turned on the sink's faucet and began to sob.


	2. Lunchtime Surprising

'Mere?'

Meredeth's head snapped up at the sound of Lili's voice on the other side of the bathroom door, and she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her blue eyes were red-rimmed and streaming, the tears forming crevices in her make-up. She sniffled quietly, yanked at the roll of toilet paper to dab her eyes.

'Mere, honey?' Now Honey-Milk joined in too.

'I'm fine, just a little upset stomach. I think I drank that punch too fast, too much sugar all at once,' Meredeth fibbed, then sobbed softly again when she heard both Lanie and Beckett outside.

'Bullshit, sugar, get your Danish ass out here.'

'Yeah, and make it snappy, Javier's getting worried about you too.'

'Really I'm fine.'

When there was no response, Meredeth wanted to breathe a little easier, but she knew better. Looking at herself in the mirror, she sighed heavily and twisted the doorknob. As she expected, all four of her girls were in the room: Lanie was sitting cross legged on the bed beside Lili, Beckett was leaning against the bureau and Honey-Milk sat on the ottoman at the end of the bed. All had the light of worry in their eyes as they looked at her, and post-partum Lanie even started to tear up a little bit. But it was Beckett herself who made the first move.

'Sweetie, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize...' She trailed off as she came over and wrapped her arms around her friend, stroked her hair. 'I didn't realize things were so bad for you.'

'No, no.' Meredeth shoved Beckett away, swiped at her eyes. 'This is your son's birthday, Lanie, I can't ruin it like this...I need to get out of here.'

She turned for the door, but Honey-Milk was quicker and bodily blocked it. 'The fuck we are letting you out of here when you look like that. What, you think that we're going to brush off your troubles just because the timing is inconvenient?'

'It's nothing, I'm handling it-'

'By shutting us out?' Now Lanie got her shots in. 'There's always time for another party, Mere, but you are hurting now. And we want to fix that.'

'There is no way to fix it.' Meredeth sighed heavily, slumped against the closed door. 'I can't have any more babies, and we wanted a fourth so badly, so now...now I'll have put Javi through hell being such a bitch about it, and it's all in vain.'

'Yo, Susan Lucci, dial it down.' Lili the soaps-fan tried for dry sarcasm, but even that did nothing to penetrate the dense, unhappy fog surrounding her sister-in-law. 'Now what's all this about no more babies? You can't get pregnant anymore?'

'Looks like that's the case.'

'But the doctor would have told you, right?' Honey-Milk looked aghast that Harvey would let such an important test slip past his care. 'Harvey would tell you that on your appointment?'

'He said there is no medical reason for me and Javi not to conceive another three children if we wanted,' Meredeth said hollowly. 'And my last physical, before we started trying again last year, had nothing funny turn up. So it's something they missed, something they didn't check right or not enough.'

'Maybe it's the stress you're not pregnant yet that's affecting you, Mere,' Beckett pointed out. 'A lot of these things

'Kate no offense, but you weren't even trying with your husband and it happened.'

'Exactly. You need to calm...relax about it,' she replied, remembering how up in arms Meredeth always got when she was told to calm down. 'You and Javi will have another baby, I can feel it.'

'Maybe you'll get another double-barrel like Leo and Trini,' Lili added with a smile, then felt her heart crumble to dust when Meredeth shuddered, and the tears started up again.

All of them looked at each other, with no idea what to do, they hadn't even seen Meredeth this shattered when her husband had been shot or when her grandmother died. For a moment, Lanie wondered if it was possible that her girl was already pregnant and this was simply her hormones acting like a crazy bitch.

'I don't want to do this,' she whispered through her tears, 'I don't. I want to be happy and enjoy the cake and the presents and the party for Carey, Lanie, but...fuck I am so selfish. I'm going to get some fresh air.'

'Mere,' Lili started, but Meredeth was already turning on her heel and staring down Honey-Milk.

'Jennifer Agatha, you have four seconds to move.'

Realizing it wasn't her day to win the battle, Honey-Milk stepped aside and let her go.

Meredeth took a few deep breaths before heading down the hallway and was almost to the door when she scented Esposito near her.

'Keep walking,' he murmured, 'I'll come with you.'

'No, I need to be by myself for a moment.'

'Tough luck, babe.'

'Javi.' Meredeth said it through gritted teeth and mustering all the courage she could, turned to face him. One look at his soulful brown eyes that mirrored her own worry nearly broke the greasy control she'd regained. 'I love you very much, but please. I need to take a walk.'

'Okay.'

He watched her slip out and watching her go when every instinct told him to run after her, to cradle her against his chest and soothe her troubled heat was the hardest thing he'd ever done in his life.

* * *

><p>There was no guilt like the feeling of using work to escape home-life troubles, Esposito realized as he stepped off the elevator at the precinct three days later. Meredeth had taken her fourth pregnancy test in a week and it was negative. She was beyond cursing now, this time she'd just sadly shaken her head, washed her hands and went downstairs to fold the laundry from the dryer. It killed Esposito a little bit every time when he had to see that look on her face, not only the disappointment but the guilt she had too, that she was the defective one and it was all her fault they weren't conceiving their fourth musketeer just yet.<p>

Sitting down at his desk, Esposito rested his head in his hands a moment before booting up his computer; he slipped on his reading glasses - the ones Meredeth said made him just like Indiana Jones - and logged in. He was just opening his file on notes needed for court the next day when Ryan pulled up a chair beside him.

'Hey, bro, what's going on with Meredeth?' he asked in a low voice; the captain was on vacationand his replacement didn't like personal issues discussed in the bullpen. 'She looked like you'd cheated on her or something when she left Lanie and Dave's room at the party.'

Esposito gave Ryan a frigid-Arctic stare. 'You even _think _about _joking_ about that ever again and I will rip your nuts off Kevin Thomas Ryan.'

'Okay, I didn't think it was that at all, I know you love your wife and you're too busy nailing her morning noon and night to so much as look at another woman. Is it the baby thing?' When Esposito simply nodded, Ryan breathed a small sigh of relief. 'Still no luck, huh?'

'I'm thinking someone in the lab screwed up the tests or something, because there is no way that-'

'Gentlemen! Where are you with Griggs for the Corcoran case?' Roberta Sack, the detective-sergeant on loan from the Twenty-Sixth precinct walked past their desks and gave them a fishy stare. 'Or am I interrupting your water-cooler gossip?'

'Griggs will be here to give us an official statement at ten-thirty, in the mean time Detective Esposito and I were discussing notes on a case that is going to prelim trial tomorrow.'

'Then use a conference room to chit-chat,' Roberta returned stiffly and marched into the captain's office, making Ryan shudder as the door slammed.

'Why did Montgomery have to go to the Carolinas when you are having a crisis?'

'Because it's his niece's wedding, you bozo,' Esposito reminded his partner, then clicked his terminal mouse a few times, sent his notes to the printer. 'But I don't want to talk about it right now, man, I just...I need a break from worrying about my wife.'

'Okay. How about a nice juicy weasel shake-down to boost your spirits?'

'Which one?'

'Babylon.'

'Oh, he's fun.' Esposito allowed himself a little smile as he reached for his suit jacket. 'He still got that chihuahua named Sprinkles?'

'Nah, it's a terrier mutt named Spike now. Let's roll.'

* * *

><p>'That was fun.'<p>

'Glad to hear that coming from you, bro.'

'Well, insofar as shaking down a snitch in need of a shower can be fun.'

Ryan chuckled as they inched their way closer to the front of the line at Monsoon's. It had been a productive morning and since he was feeling generous, he was going to spring for the lunch today. He squinted at the board, trying to decide between the tofu-fu stir fry or the meatless noodle bowl when he felt the line surge, and he stumbled into the woman in front of him. 'I'm sorry, ma'am, it wasn't me, honest.'

The woman turned around and gave him a look, and even happily-married Ryan felt his stomach weaken. She was a stunner in her mid-forties, with almond-shaped green eyes and smooth skin the colour of orange pekoe tea.

'So you say, and...' She trailed off as Esposito faced forward again, and her jaw dropped open. 'Javi? Javi Esposito?'

Esposito looked at the woman and blinked. 'Victoria?'

'Oh my god!' Victoria threw her arms around Esposito's neck and laughed as she squeezed him tightly in a hug. 'It's been way too long!'

'I know, you look amazing!'

'Wanna catch me up bro?' Ryan asked, not liking the level of familiarity he was seeing between his bro and this woman.

'Oh, sorry. Victoria this is Kevin Ryan, Ryan, this is Victoria Russo, she was my first partner on the force.'

'First for a few other things too,' she added, giving Esposito a friendly elbow in the ribs. 'Listen I'm kind of in a rush but I'm in town for a day or two, why don't we get some dinner tomorrow night?'

'Sounds fantastic. How about O'Leary's on Twenty-First and Seventh?'

'Wonderful. See you then?'

Victoria darted off without even ordering, leaving Ryan to stare at Esposito. 'What?'

'How are you going to explain to your wife you're going on a date tomorrow night?'

'It's not a date, she's an old friend.'

'Dude, if you saw her naked she doesn't fit into the 'old friends' category, or even the 'old cop buddies' one. She's smack dab in the 'old flames' column.'

'Meredeth isn't going to mind,' Esposito started, then rethought that statement. His wife had practically had a nervous, stressed out collapse at a child's birthday party over hearing her friend was pregnant. She wouldn't react too kindly to this one, he was damn certain. 'She's going to mind, isn't she?'

'Normally I'd say no, but given her current emotional state, you brother are a dead man walking.'

Esposito sighed. 'I want to see Victoria tomorrow night for a beer to tell her what's happened in my life the last few years, you know, getting married and having a family, that's all.'

'Uh-huh.'

'She's not Valencia, Ry. Trust me.'

'Really?'

'Really. Trust me.'

'Okay.' The tone told Ryan to let it go, but he couldn't help feeling weirded out that Esposito, whose moral compass never wavered once with regards to Meredeth, was so blase about this.

He wondered if he might need to make up the couch for his friend to crash on when Meredeth gave his ass a boot for the night.


	3. Spousal Understanding

'Hello, anyone home? Hey boy, how are you feeling, old man?'

Esposito scratched Arturo's ears as the aging dog walked over to greet his master hello with a friendly sniff and lick to the hand. 'Where is everyone, huh?' Esposito muttered.

Arturo sneezed, then went upstairs, slower than he used to do, and into the twins' room, where they were all sitting on Leo's bed as Tessi read aloud to them from her hard-cover copy of the Grimm fairy-tales.

'And the little girl took her bas...bas..bas-ket and tied her cape on.'

'No zippies?' Leo asked.

'No, there are no zippers, Leo.'

'It ol' times,' Trini said, then looked up at the movement in the door way and grinned. 'Daddy!'

All three heads snapped up and looked at Esposito, giving him winning smiles as he came over and crouched in front of them; they swamped him with hugs and kisses, unwittingly lifting some of the weight from Esposito's heart.

'Mami's in the shower, Daddy,' Tessi informed him. 'She has been working hard today.'

'I bet, she's got a lot of important things coming up. Right now, it's time to finish the story and then bed.'

'Okay, Daddy. We be good,' Leo replied, loving the street-scent of his father's clothes; in his young mind, it was how superheroes would smell.

When the story was finished and the children were tucked into bed, Esposito went into his room and saw Meredeth sitting in bed with her laptop, checking out her Twitter page. Her wet hair was tied up in a messy bun at the back of her head, and she was wearing one of his favourite outfits that wasn't meant to drive him wild but did anyways - a lemon yellow tank top that just barely covered her gorgeous breasts and tiny tiny shorts that showed off long, milk-white legs. Her smile when she looked up at him was genuine, reaching to her eyes.

'I've been getting a lot of comments on people talking about my little part in _Spring Awakening_. Some are rather pissy saying I'm too old to play Fraulein Grossenbustenhalter, but most are supportive and can't wait to see me dolled up in a Bavarian corset circa eighteen-ninety-one.'

'I'd like that too.'

'You'd like me in a wet-paper bag.'

'Also true, as it'd be very easy to rip off your body.'

Meredeth laughed as she shut the lid of her laptop, then looked up to give him a kiss before he started to undress. 'Listen, Javi, I want to apologize to you.'

'Mere, come on, you don't need to apologize, it's completely understandable why you'd be bitchy. I know you're upset about the whole baby-making situation, I am too, but it's going to work out. We will get pregnant one more time.'

'Be that as it may, it's not fair of me to use you as an emotional punching bag and sperm factory. You know that's not how I see you. So, I was thinking by way of an apology, tomorrow night when the kids are in bed you and me can have a you-and-me night.' She moved to the end of the bed, rose on her knees to give him a kiss. 'Candles, wine, that double-chocolate mocha cheesecake you love so much, and I can show you a sample of my costume from _Spring Awakening_.'

Esposito groaned. Here she was, his bride back to normal at least for a little while and he would have to tell her that wonderful sounding night would have to be put on hold for a night. 'Ummm...'

'What, doesn't that sound like fun?'

'It sounds like my kinda night with my wife, but I, ah kinda ran into an old friend this afternoon and we made plans to grab a bite and catch up tomorrow night.'

'Oh, okay,' Meredeth replied brightly. 'Who did you bump into?'

'Victoria Russo.' Esposito held his breath, then cocked his head to the side when she simply smiled at him.

'Your old partner? That's gotta be a blast from the past.'

He stared at her, unsure if this was the sunshine-bomb approach. 'Yeah, we were partnered together for about a year and a half. You also remember she was my first...first?'

'Yes I remember that too.'

'And...you're okay with me going out to dinner with her to catch up.'

'Of course I am. Javi, I'm not going to bitch you out over having a past before I came into your life. I know you were with other women before me just like you know I was with other men before me. And really, wouldn't it be hugely hypocritical of me to cuss you out and stamp my feet when you know about my past with Kristof?'

Esposito hadn't considered that part when he'd been in line with Ryan at Monsoon's that afternoon; how had it slipped his mind? When he and Meredeth had traded their sexual-history rosters shortly after Meredeth had moved from Yorkville into the Chelsea townhouse, he'd been only marginally surprised when he learned that Meredeth and her illustrator had had a drunken one-night stand in university that had been more of a comedy of errors than a night of romance. Like himself and Victoria, Meredeth and Kristof had stayed friends after the naked-times were done and were more like brother and sister than old lovers.

'That is very true but...are you sure? That night together sounds hot and we could use a night of romance like that.'

'And we'll get to it,' Meredeth promised. 'We really will. Just one question.'

'Sure.'

'What time are you meeting her?'

'Seven, why?'

'I've got my doctor's appointment tomorrow but it's a regular check-up with my GP, not one with Harvey,' Meredeth assured him when he started to close his eyes in self-berating annoyance. 'It's at four-thirty and I know you're going to be in court, so if it runs long, don't worry, I'll just get Andrea or Agnes to watch the kids.'

'You sure?'

She nodded, gave him another kiss. 'I'm sure. Now...I'm all done being clean tonight, and I know you could probably use a back rub.'

Esposito watched with delight as she tugged out the white plastic toy-box from her bedside table drawer and pulled out the jar of key-lime basil massage oil. 'Why not coconut?' he mock-pouted, stripping off his shirt and flopping down on the bed.

'Well I was going to save the coconut and white-chocolate for our night of cheesecake and sex but if you want it now-'

'Lime-basil is good,' he laughed, then sighed as she worked those beautiful hands into the tired muscles of his back. 'Oh yeah, that's the stuff. Wait.'

He lipped to his back, slipped off his boxers so that he was completely naked and looked at her. 'I showed you mine, now off with your top.'

'Really?' Meredeth laughed, charmed by him as he posed like Burt Reynolds. 'That's how you're seducing me?'

'I thought you were seducing me by wearing a tiny little shirt like that and promising me a massage.'

'A little bit.' She trailed her fingertips along the low-cut neckline of her shirt, watched him swallowed deeply as the blood began to work its way south in his body. Though her body had changed after nursing three babies she was still very proud of how full and round her boobs were, even if gravity had done some work on them. 'But first.'

Meredeth shimmied out of her shorts and panties, then straddled him. 'How's that?'

'Better,' he replied, running his hands up and down her sides before taking the soft clinging fabric in his hands and smiling as he tugged it up so she was naked with him. 'And now even more better.'

* * *

><p>'You can't be serious.'<p>

'As a shark attack.'

'She was just all la-la-la about it?'

Esposito sipped his coffee as he and Ryan waited outside the courtroom for ADA Ian Link to show up. They'd tagged Judge Fuqua for this case and she was a nice lady but she didn't take a single ounce of shit in her courtroom, so they were all there early to make sure they were fresh and sharp on their points of testimony. 'I'm weirded out by it too, and she'll probably give me shit over it when I get home, you know, how was your date tonight and that, but for right now she's cool with it and that works for me.'

'Meredeth knows Victoria was an old girlfriend, right?'

'She wasn't a girlfriend, she was just someone I had sex with. There is a big difference. Valencia was a girlfriend.'

Ryan shuddered at the name of his partner's psycho-ex. 'And we all know how that one turned out.'

'On top of which, Victoria works with entertainment industry pros. I'm sure she keeps up with the trades and knows that Meredeth married someone named Javier Esposito who's a cop with the NYPD.'

'Oh.' Ryan hadn't thought of that, as he often forgot that Meredeth was just as famous, if not moreso in certain circles, than even Castle. 'So that's why she wouldn't make a play for you.'

'Yeah, that's it, Victoria's been stalking me for twelve years so that she would know to show up just when Meredeth and I are having baby-making problems,' Esposito replied sarcastically. 'We were _friends_, Kevin. Yeah she was my first, but we'd been friends before that happened and when it was done, we not only stayed friends but we worked together too. That could have been very weird, but it wasn't, so when she shows up and says let's get dinner, I don't interpret that as let's go find a motel and bang it out just like old times.'

Ryan sighed, tried to understand it from Esposito's perspective, but found it difficult to do so; he'd lost his virginity at fifteen to his high-school girlfriend and spent most of his high-school years trying to juggle all his girlfriends. Esposito might have been considered a ladies' man but few outside of their tight circle of friends knew he'd started out as a shy-guy and a gentleman who didn't view sex as a competitive sport.

'Sorry. But you gotta admit, she is a looker.'

'She's hot, but she's not my Mere.'

And just like that, any lingering doubt Ryan had about Esposito's old fuck-buddy causing him any problems was laid to rest. It was excellent timing, too, as Shane Weaver appeared in one of his suits looking cool and collected even as he scratched the spot over his heart.

'Morning gents. Ian texted me, he's running behind this morning from another case so he'll be here shortly.'

'Hey, I thought Alexis was coming to watch this one with you,' Esposito commented to Shane and he shook his head, scratched as his chest again.

'Her dentist was able to switch her appointment so we can go to the Hamptons on Friday morning this weekend.'

'Gotcha.'

'What's with the scratching?' Ryan asked, pointing to where Shane's fingertips were trying desperately not to claw their way through the breast-pocket of his suit.

'I got a new tat on Saturday which I still have to cover with a bandage, and the tape is very very itchy,' he replied. 'You can see it soon, I promise.'

'So long as you say that you and Alexis aren't getting matching ones for the wedding.'

'Yeah, right, that girl barely stands getting her flu shot, there's no way she'd do it for fun,' Shane laughed.

Esposito chuckled, thinking of Castle as a young new daddy and wondering what would have happened as he held infant Alexis in his arms for the first time if he'd been told that twenty-five years later she'd be marrying a tatted-up dead doctor fifteen years her senior.

For the first time in his life, he was thankful his firstborn had a crush on Dell Ryan.


	4. Meredeth Worrying

'Mami?'

'Yes, princess.'

'Why we gotta peel the potato skins? Doesn't it hurt them?'

Meredeth chuckled as she watched Tessi wield the child's safety-peeler and examine the pile of Yukon gold potatoes. 'Because if we're making soup we don't want there to be any chunky bits when there aren't supposed to be.'

'No icky bits,' Leo agreed from his spot at the kitchen table where he and Trini were lining up his animal toys like a little plastic platoon.

'But, Mami,' Tessi protested as she shoved her peeled potato towards the pile she was helping her mother create. 'There is ba-con and green on-i-ons in the soup, those are chun..chun...oh!'

'It's okay honey, take you time.'

'Chun..ky bits in the soup,' Tessi finished, a little angry with herself she didn't get the word right the first time. 'I am c-confused.'

'Because when we make roast-potato soup, we want to make the potatoes smooth, like mashed potatoes we have at Christmas. Those aren't good if you have a big hard piece when they're supposed to be light and fluffy, are they?'

'No' good addall,' Trini piped up and Tessi glared at her sister.

'Mami is talking to me, Trini.'

'I help too!'

'Trini, it's rude to interrupt, and Tessi, no fighting.'

Despite her good mood, Meredeth didn't have the patience to handle any squabbling today, not when she had her doctor's appointment that afternoon and she was worried enough about that as it was. She was getting blood test results back, a full panel which was standard procedure for her GP and she had the nauseating feeling that she was going to be told that her membership to the stork club was going to be revoked.

Instead of letting those demons sink in, she focused on the task at hand - making one of her children's favourite dinners so that when she was at the doctor's office and her husband was finishing up in court, neither one had to worry about Andrea and Agnes making the kids' dinner; it was already done for them.

'Okay, Tessi, have you got your potatoes ready?'

'Yes, and they are lookin' fine, Mami,' the little girl replied, making Meredeth laugh out loud.

'Oh, goodness, Tessi, you are your father's daughter through and through.'

'What does that mean, Mami?'

'It means you act a lot like daddy, the way you say things and understand things.'

'Mami, we help too?' Leo asked, looking over at the goings-on. 'We tasers?'

'Yes, you and Trini can be tasters but Tessi gets to help me with this because she is bigger and I don't want you two getting hurt.'

'Okay, Mami! We tidy up?' Trini asked.

'Please and thank you, Trini.'

'Okay. 'Mon Leo, we tidy up.'

As the twins did their thing and scooped the figurines back into the plastic tub where Leo stored his 'Trini-sharing' toys, there was a knock on the door which had Arturo sounding the alarm. Meredeth answered it and wasn't surprised to find Agnes on the other side with Nessa in her stroller. They were each wearing little khaki shorts and matching blouses of watermelon pink.

'Hello, hello, I know we're early but Nessa insisted we come here after the park.'

'Puppy!' Nessa declared, her blue eyes twinkling as she clapped her hands together, giggling when Arturo came over and licked her forehead. 'Ah-tie!'

'That's right, Nessa, that's Artie!' Meredeth leaned down, unbuckled Nessa from her stroller and was surprised when the little girl didn't crumple to the floor to crawl but stayed standing on the spot. 'Hey, look at you big girl!'

'Big! See?'

Nessa batted at Meredeth's hands in a give-me-some-room gesture and wore a proud grin when she took a few wobbly but very independent steps towards her. 'See! I do!'

'You did it, that's for sure. You want to come and say hello to everyone?'

'Hey-o!'

'L's are still evading her,' Agnes chuckled, setting her purse down. 'But Andrea and Daniel said those come with time.'

'I understand. Tessi had a stutter since she could speak, and she's been working on getting over it for over a year now.'

'I didn't even notice it.'

'She has trouble with hard c's and k's, they've gotten a lot better, but there are some that still trip her up.'

Agnes wrapped a friendly, maternal arm around Meredeth's waist. 'Don't worry, you're a good mother, Meredeth and Javier's an excellent father. She'll do fine by the time she starts school in a year. Hey everyone!'

'Hey-o!' Nessa added sweetly, and both Agnes and Meredeth saw the love on Leo's face when the little red-head walked in.

'My odder sisser! Hi odder sisser!'

'His other sister?' Agnes chuckled, making Meredeth shake her head once more.

'He and Carey Parrish-Robbins have decided that Nessa needs some big brothers to look out for her and they are going to fit that bill.'

'Ah, well, all little ladies should be so lucky. How are you doing today, Leo and Trini and Tessi?'

'We tidy-up. No mess!' Trini declared, slithering off her chair to give Nessa a hug, and giggled when Nessa picked her cheek. 'Mami, Nessa give kisses!'

'Mah!' Nessa said sweetly, then gave Leo the same treatment. 'Mah!'

'You so funny, Nessa,' Leo added with a little blush. 'You t'irsty, Nessa?'

'Doos? Nin-na, doos?'

Agnes smiled, so proud of her little girl. 'You have to ask Meredeth, it's her house, sweetie-pie.'

'Me-wee, doos piz?'

'You may have some too. Leo, Tessi, Trini, you want some juice?' Meredeth asked her children and was met with a chorus of 'yesses'. Knowing this routine well, she got out the four cups, three with no-spill lids and poured apple juice all around. Boosting Nessa into the high-chair that was always kept handy since they had so many little visitors, she gave her red-head a kiss. 'There we are sweetie.'

'Dinks.'

'You are welcome.'

'Mami, you suh-till need my help with soup?' Tessi asked, craning her neck to see what Meredeth was doing next with their creations.

'I don't think so, princess, but thank you for helping me with the potatoes, that's the biggest part.'

'O...o-kay, Mami. We are making potato soup for dinner so when Mami is at her 'poi-ment today, we will have yummy soup all ready to eat,' Tessi explained to Agnes who had sat down at the table with them. 'Mami, you didn't offer An-duh-rea's mami a duh-rink.'

'I'm sorry, Agnes, do you want juice too? Or I've got iced tea as well, fizzy water-'

'Iced tea sounds delicious.'

'Mami make it,' Leo said importantly, keeping a watchful eye on Nessa. 'She make tasy t'ings.'

'She is very good at making tasty things,' Agnes agreed, remembering how the woman had been a friend to Andrea and keeping her cupboards stocked right after Nessa had been born.

'Mummy?' Nessa set her cup down and looked around. 'Mummy?'

'No, Mummy's at busy right now,' Agnes chuckled, 'she'll be here later.'

'No.' Nessa pouted into her juice, until Leo poked her in the side and said, 'No be sad, Nessa. We nappin' an' soup.'

'Yummies?'

Trini nodded and smiled at Nessa. 'We haffin' yummies Nessa. No sweat.'

'Well,' Agnes chuckled, acepted the glass Meredeth brought her. 'That's the young-uns taken care of. What are we going to do with ourselves?'

* * *

><p>When it was indeed nap time after they all had soup - like their parents, Tessi, Trini and Leo all enjoyed a hot bowlful even in the dead of summer - Meredeth tucked in all the babies, including Nessa in the little trundle bed in Tessi's room. She was a little confused at first, until Meredeth turned on Tessi's little stereo and she was sound asleep before the end of the first song.<p>

Door partially closed, Meredeth went back downstairs to find Agnes had put the kettle on for tea and was reading the magazines on the coffee table. She looked up at Meredeth, set aside the issue of _Entertainment Weekly_.

'Now that the little ones are out of earshot, how are you really doing, my dear?' Agnes asked sympathetically. 'Andrea told me it hasn't exactly been an easy time for you.'

The gentle words spoken so lovingly had Meredeth letting out an uneasy breath. 'I'm scared to death,' she admitted sitting down and tugging one of the couch's throw pillows into her lap. She plucked at the decorative stitching and sighed again. 'I'm so fucking terrified that the reason we can't have anymore babies is that there is a tumour or growth or something that is blocking me off.'

'It could be any number of things.'

'But what if it's serious?' Now there was a shake in her voice. 'What if it's...what if there is something malignant there that we missed, something that would leave Javi with no wife and three children under the age of five to take care of?'

'Meredeth.' Agnes turned to face her fully, covered Meredeth's hands with hers to stop her nervous movements. 'When was your last checkup with your baby doctor? Is he the same one Andrea and Daniel work with?'

'Uh-huh, James Harvey. It was about seven weeks ago, and he said there was nothing wrong with me, it would just take time.'

'There you are. Oh. Oh sweetheart, it's okay.'

Meredeth hadn't realized it until Agnes had covered her hands with her own, but the woman despite her flaws, was almost like having Constance back. The kind ear with absolutely no judgement while she listened, and a reassurance grounded by reminders of logic were two of her momo's trademark personality traits. Before she realized what she was doing, Meredeth pitched forward and laid her brow on Agnes' shoulder as she cried her eyes out.

'There, there, my dear,' Agnes murmured affectionately. 'It'll all work out, not to worry.'

'And what if it doesn't.'

'It will,' she insisted. 'God never gives us more than we can handle. My Andrea is living proof of that, as are you from what she's told me about your life.'

'Thanks, Agnes.'

'Just remember to breathe slowly and remember that the doctors don't tell us shit to scare us, they tell us so we have all the facts straight and can make the best plan of attack.'

'So says the wisdom of rehab?'

Agnes nodded firmly. 'And my sponsor here. And God forbid, if there is something truly wrong, you've got a whole network of people to back you up and help you fight. But never underestimate the power of positive thinking.'

Meredeth tried to keep Agnes' words in her mind as she walked into her doctor's office, nervous clutching the shoulder strap of her purse. She loathed going to the doctor's office for her check-up because the smell was always the same - old newspapers, sterile soap and orange disinfectant. Behind the glass partitioned reception desk sat a temp in lieu of Minka, her physician's sturdy German medical secretary who looked like a former Olympic shot-putt champion.

Approaching the desk, she hoped there wasn't too much of a wobble in her voice. 'Hi, I'm Meredeth Esposito, I'm here for my four-thirty appointment with Doctor Bruce?'

'Yes.' The receptionist scanned through her file, looked at the computer screen. 'Please wait here for a moment, Missus Esposito.'

The secretary disappeared and Meredeth's stomach did a double clutch as she reappeared with Doctor Bruce, who wore his half-moon reading glasses on a chain around his neck.

'Meredeth, glad you're here punctually.'

'What's going on, sir?'

'I'd like to go over the results of your blood panel with you.'


	5. Esposito Remeniscing

He was going to be on-time, Esposito realized as he stepped out of the subway station just a few blocks from the diner. Court had run long but he would be punctual. He wanted - needed - to be on time, so that he could be home to Meredeth in time for a little loving; more he wanted to hear how things went with the doctor. Meredeth hadn't texted him so he assumed there was no earth-shattering news to share, bad or good which was equal parts relief and disappointment.

Still, he hadn't seen his old partner in over a decade and they'd have a nice dinner together. Esposito had made sure to load up his phone with photos of Tessi, Trini, Leo and of course Mere, a digital brag-book as it were. He wanted to tell her all about them, the various adventures they'd had while dating and then in married life and now as parents and could barely contain himself with the idea of someone totally unaware of those four gems in his life that would hear all the stories for the first time.

When he walked into the diner, he saw her sitting with her laptop open, barking into her cellphone.

'No, I did not say three people on Miz Raleigh, I said three at the hotel, two in the limousine. Then figure it out, and none of those goons with earpieces. They just make the eager beavers try harder. Now, damn it, go!'

She snapped the phone shut, went back to her laptop; in the low, homey lighting of the diner, she looked like Lorraine Bracco circa season 3 of _The Sopranos_.

'You know, being that angry is what causes cancer,' Esposito said casually, using one of his wife's best one-liners as he sat down across from her.

'Hey.' Victoria's smile was friendly as she shut down her laptop, set her phone to vibrate mode. 'How was your day in court?'

'Long. But entertaining, we got to see Doctor Weaver make the defense attorney look like a total moron, and that's always fun.'

'Who'd you pull on the bench?'

'Claire Fuqua. Good judge, really knows the law, but you even think about talking back to her and she will ream your ass.'

'Those are the judges you want in a prelim, though,' Victoria mused as she sipped the black coffee she'd let grow cold while she'd worked and waited for her dinner companion to arrive. 'They're the ones who makes sure you damn well have enough that no appeal court will take the case.'

'I'm impressed you remember those days.'

'I might have stopped working the streets and gone into private security for the rich and paranoid, but I can still think like a cop.'

'Hi there.' The waiter came over, greeted them to refill Victoria's coffee cup. 'Can I get you anything else?'

'What beer do you have?' Victoria asked and listened to her choices. 'Two drafts of the pale-ale, please.'

'One,' Esposito corrected her. 'No booze for me. Just decaf coffee and a Diet Coke with extra ice.'

Victoria arched an eyebrow at him. 'You in AA or something?'

'Or something. My wife and I are trying for a baby again, so I've cut down my caffeine.'

'Wife and baby?' She looked surprised. 'The Javi I knew just wanted to have as much consequence-free sex once he figured out how do it right. Wait...you said again? How many are there already? No, first, tell me about the wife.'

'We've been married six years. Her name is Meredeth, you probably know her, she writes the _Lady Hawk_ graphic novels and the first two were made into miniseries. She won three Emmys for them.'

'Wow, that's pretty cool. And you already have a baby?'

Esposito held up three fingers and didn't bother to hide his smug grin when his friend's eyes bugged out from her head. He took out his phone, pulled up his digital brag-book. 'That's my Merry-Cherry.'

'She's white.'

'Danish,' Esposito corrected, the edge of defence in his voice. 'And we have three little Dane-o-Rican babies.'

'Three?' Victoria's voice was a squeak. 'Man, looks like you were just waiting for the right woman for sex full of consequences.'

'Meredeth is all kinds of right. What about you, any man or kids in your life?'

'Not married. Long-time boyfriend and I split last year at the end of the summer. He couldn't handle my work-schedule, all the traveling and last-minute changes in my plans.'

'So no kids either?' Esposito ventured as his soft-drink and Victoria's beer were served and they took a moment to order their meals - chicken club with a garden salad for her, angus burger and fries with gravy for himself. He wasn't surprised when she shook her head.

'Not with my work schedule, not a chance. I can't be assigning security details while changing diapers and making goo-goo noises at a tiny human who can't talk back to me.'

'Trust me, I thought the same thing about babies. Then I met Mere and Iknew there was nothing more I wanted to do than a futre and family with her.' Esposito felt something well in his heart towards his former partner. He knew she wasn't lonely or unfulfilled, but he'd always thought she would turn out to be an awesome working mom like Special Agent Jordan Shaw. Still, her attitude wasn't going to dampen his bragging spirit. Tapping a few keys on his phone, he flipped to the pictures of his children.

'The oldest one there, that's Tessi, she's my bossy little boot.'

'How old is she?'

'She just turned four in April. This is her learning to swim at the Hamptons last summer, she was so excited. She says, Daddy, I'm big now, I gedda go in the boat.'

'That's adorable,' Victoria said in the distant way people did when they weren't all that interested in hearing about someone else's kids; Esposito, however didn't care, and kept on going.

'She loves helping Meredeth out with the twins, Trini and Leo, especially the laundry and folding socks for some reason. Trini and Leo will be two in October, and we want one more for our little crowd.'

'Sounds like you're happy doing the family thing.'

'I am,' Esposito said on a satisfied sigh. 'I love them so much. Ten years ago, I didn't think this was what I was interested in having, the house and wife and kids and dog-'

'Oh, please don't tell me you have the dog too,' Victoria teased him.

'Well, technically, it's Mere's dog. Arturo is almost eleven, he's a boxer-Great Dane mix. Scared the crap out of me when I was first dating Meredeth, and now he's as much a part of the family as our children. Anyways, I'll shut up being a bragging daddy now,' he laughed. 'You got any good stories from your travels?'

'Tonnes.' Victoria crossed her legs, sipped her draft of beer. 'You want to hear about when I was in Cannes for the film festival with Will Franklin or when I did the security for a Carnivale parade last year with Carmela de la Fuega?'

Esposito sat back with his Diet Coke, listening to her talk about her travels, and he found his thoughts drifting to Meredeth, wondering how her doctor's appointment had gone. He made the appropriate noises and conversational comebacks, but as Victoria talked about the glamorous events she'd been to, the stars she'd met, he found it, well...boring. He knew that most people would probably gobble it up, yet he wasn't interested in hearing the details of how to keep the crazies away from the singers and actors and celebutantes.

He would, Esposito realized with no surprise, rather listen to Meredeth sound off about her latest road-block in the never ending saga of Tabitha Stroud's quest for justice or break up a spat between any combination of his children. Not to say he wasn't enjoying catching up with his friend from twenty years ago, but...maybe that was it, maybe it was that they'd been friends twenty years before and not friends for twenty years.

By the time they were finished with their meal, he sensed that Victoria understood this too - they'd just grown up and grown apart from each other, but they'd always have fond memories of each other. It was evident she was thinking this way too, for when they'd paid the bill and were walking outside, their parting embrace was ended with a 'good to see you' and 'we should do this again next time I'm in town' that people gave each other when they had no intention of doing so at all. Esposito waited with her until she'd flagged a taxi, and then wanting the five block-walk back to his house to prepare exactly what he wanted to say to Meredeth about how his evening went, because he knew she would probably be a little bit cranky about it no matter how much she professed she was okay with it.

He thought nothing of it when he opened the front door and there were no lights on, and Arturo was flaked out with the television on Discovery Channel; Meredeth often did that for Arturo so he wouldn't feel alone if no one was home. The kids weren't there, and neither was Meredeth.

'Where'd Mami and the tots go, old man?' he asked the dog, who was flaked out on the sofa with his ancient rope chew-toy. 'Is Mami a little pissed with Daddy?'

Arturo just gave him a woofing sneeze and nudged at Esposito's elbow. It wasn't unusual for this to happen - more than once, when he'd planned to work late and those plans changed, he'd come home to find his babes were with his parents and Meredeth had indulged in a night of self-indulgence, whether it was dinner out, taking a long walk just for some personal time and space, a movie Esposito had to desire to see with her.

Out of habit, he went into the kitchen to see what was in the fridge, though the burger he'd scarfed down at the diner was more than satisfying; he pulled out a bottle of red-raspberry iced tea Meredeth made for him. Taking his drink upstairs, he checked his phone - he'd left it on vibrate from court that day - and felt a small ripple of confusion when saw that he'd received no new text messages. That was a little strange, because Meredeth always let him know what she was up to, if she was going to be late. It was part of their code ever since Esposito had gotten shot before they'd even been engaged; they disguised it as a little love note just to make sure the other didn't go crazy with worry. But then again, Meredeth's phone had been causing her grief of late and wasn't holding much charge anymore. Why she just didn't get a new one already since she'd had the other for six damn years Esposito didn't know; one of the fascinating quirks that made her Meredeth was that she didn't part with her technology very easily.

Esposito decided a hot shower was the best way to go, and knew she'd be home by the time he was out, maybe even laying on the bed waiting for him to ravish her. But when he stepped out, skin steaming and fragrant with soap, still no Meredeth. Worry was now trailing vines in his belly as he redressed in shorts and a t-shirt so he could take Arturo out for a walk.

Then he heard the houseline ringing and saw Meredeth's cell number pop up on the caller ID.

'Hey gorgeous, what's-'

'Javier, please-'

The voice on the other end was Meredeth's but she didn't sound herself at all; it was the voice of someone sobbing from excruciating pain.

'Mere? What's wrong, what is it? Where are you?'

'Hospital. Saint-Vincent's.'

'Oh Jesus.' Terrifying visions raced through Esposito's mind. 'Is it one of the kids?'

'No, they're fine, it's me.'

'What-'

He heard her cry of pain over the phone, and was out the door so quickly he didn't even hear the phone clatter to the floor.


	6. Hospital Terrifying

_Glad to see you all are loving this story. Not going to lie, this one has take a much different shape than I thought it would but doesn't make it any less powerful. Hope you guys are feeling okay!_

* * *

><p>The ER of Saint-Vincent's wasn't crowded tonight at all, and Esposito marched straight up to the triage desk.<p>

'Name, social security card and health insurance card please,' the nurse said as she filled in her paperwork.

'I'm not a patient, but I believe my wife is. She called me and said she was here,' Esposito replied in a rush.

'Name?'

'Meredeth Dakkars Esposito, her birthdate is November five, she is five-eight and one-eight-seven pounds, she has blue eyes and light brown hair.'

'Okay, okay, sir, just try to calm down, I'll have a look.'

The nurse did her thing and as she did, Esposito felt his heart doing sick, greasy sommersaults in his chest. The kids were fine, she'd told him, so where were they? And what the fuck was wrong with his wife? She'd been fine when he'd left her this morning for court; they'd had breakfast together. She'd made him maple-cinnamon waffles, something to stick with him while he was in court for a long day. He'd given her his trade mark 'gimme one for good luck', his own personal superstition, before he'd added 'I love you' and she'd replied 'I love you too' and he'd gone out the door.

What if they'd found something at her doctor's appointment? What if her fears had been confirmed? What if this was all just him over-reacting?

What if...what if...what if...

'Mister Esposito?'

'Detective,' he corrected the nurse out of habit. 'Yes, what is there?'

'Come with me please.'

The nurse led him down one of the hallways to a small waiting room, where he saw Andrea there, eyes red-rimmed as she chewed on her thumbnail. When she saw Esposito arrive, she was on her feet and throwing her arms around him, sniffling.

'Javier, thank God,' she mumbled against his shoulder.

'What's going on, Andrea? Where's Meredeth?'

'She's in one of the exam rooms with the doctors but they won't let anyone in to see her. I don't know why, I...I don't know. The kids are fine, they're with my mother at her house.'

'Okay.' The cop in him fought for control even as the husband and father wanted to scream and shout and demand answers. He'd been a cop for too long to not let that part of him take over now, as talking to Andrea could give him something concrete to do until the doctors could tell him anything. 'Walk me through this afternoon.'

'My mother got to your place early, she had lunch with the kids and Meredeth and she said she was fine. Worried about her doctor's appointment this afternoon but physically seemed okay. I got there around three-thirty, just as the children woke up from their nap and she was telling them she'd be back soon, she loved them and was out the door.'

Andrea took a breath, fought for steadiness. 'She called around quarter to six, saying she was going across the street here to Saint-Vincent's for more tests after her doctor talked about her blood panel with her, so could I take the children up to your parents. I told her my mother was still with me and closer than the barrio so she said that's fine and...I'm babbling.'

'It's okay, just take a breath.'

'Anyways, she sounded like she was uncomfortable, like when a girl's got really bad cramps, you know?'

'I've been with Meredeth for seven years, I know how she sounds like that.'

'And she said that she would be coming here, but not to call you just yet because there wasn't anything to worry about and didn't want to make you panic.'

'Sounds like her,' Esposito murmured. 'She called me maybe twenty minute ago, crying and in pain, like really bad pain, and...God, why the fuck can't they tell us anything?'

'I don't know, but...'

Andrea trailed off when she saw Harvey and Jeremiah Bruce, a GP who kept his office in the same building across the street as Harvey, walk in with stony faces and zero in on them both.

'Andrea, call the troops. You know what to do,' Esposito said in a voice deadly calm.

She nodded, watched him muster the courage to walk to the waiting physicians; flipping through her cellphone contact list, she stopped in the F's and found Lili George-Esposito's number, sent her a message - _MEREDETH 911. SPREAD THE WORD_. It was amazing to know that with those five words, within the hour their whole family would be here.

Out in the hallway, Esposito stood staring at them, hands on his hips and ready to take a strip off their collective asses.

'I'm Meredeth's husband, why the hell wasn't I informed that she had to be taken into the hospital, Doctor?' he growled at Bruce.

'The situation didn't become urgent until just recently,' Bruce started, but Esposito was on a roll.

'That doesn't matter, doc, I'm her husband, we have three small children at home, playing the waiting game doesn't fly with me. If there is something wrong with her, I need to know about it yesterday.'

'Javi.' Now it was Harvey who stepped up, put a hand on the man's shoulder and held tight, knowing the instinct would be for him to shake it off. 'You're a cop, you know how things can change in an instant. Medicine is very similar, a patient can be doing just fine and then take a turn suddenly. We need you calm when you go into Meredeth's room, as she is in a very fragile emotional state right now.'

Esposito didn't like the sound of that, but there were few people in the world he trusted with unconditional certainty and the man who'd safely delivered his children was one of them. He nodded slowly and followed them to the next room down and across the hallway. What he saw when the door was opened threatened to level him entirely.

Meredeth was there, lying on her side and looking deathly pale. Sweat popped from her pores like bullets and her hair was a matted, messy clump behind her head. She was in a hospital gown, an IV hooked up to her left wrist and she was keening in such a way that told Esposito she was in serious pain.

'Meredeth,' was all he could get out, and he crossed over to her, kissed her brow fiercely as he clutched her hand in his. 'Baby, what is it? What's going on?'

'Javi,' she sobbed. 'It...I...'

He dragged over a chair, and watched with sickness threatening to rise in his throat as Harvey brought over an ultrasound machine. He flipped it on, spoke gently to Meredeth like she was a small, frightened animal.

'Meredeth, sweetheart, I know you're scared and in pain but I need you to lie on your back again.'

With what Esposito could see what herculean effort, Meredeth tried to roll to her back but only made it halfway and required Harvey's help with the rest. Her free hand, the one not grasped tightly in her husband's, immediately went to cover her lower belly like she did when she had terribly bad period cramps, but the doctor moved it out of the way as if he were handling a delicate Faberge egg. He nudged aside the loose fabric of the hospital gown and moved the ultrasound wand over Meredeth's belly as tears streamed down her face.

'I can't think of a worse way to tell you this, but-'

'No. No, Harvey, please don't say she's lost a baby,' Esposito said as he stared at the black and white screen. 'I don't think either of us could handle that.'

'She hasn't lost the baby. See, it's right there, about seven weeks old.' Harvey pointed to the screen, then moved the wand up and over. 'This is what the problem is. You see this dark circle, about the size of a grape?'

'Yeah.'

'It's an ovarian cyst. It's why Meredeth's been extra moody lately, and why her last two home pregnancy tests would have come back negative. The hormones in the cyst would have

'You said cyst. It's not a tumour?'

'No, if it was a tumour, there would have been much more severe signs weeks ago, and they'd have been different.'

Harvey switched off the machine, stepped back to let Bruce do the talking now. 'Javier,' he said in the same soothing voice Harvey had used. 'We need to go in and take out the cyst before it ruptures, otherwise there could be severe health consequences for Meredeth and the baby.'

'What kind of consequences?' When Bruce and Harvey said nothing, Esposito realized what those consequences could entail. 'No. No, you operate, you make sure she is okay, and our baby is okay. Our children need their mother, I need my wife.'

'The sooner we can get her into surgery, the less chance there is of a rupture and complications,' Bruce told him, then looked up as Daniel came in. 'Nurse Brick, this-'

'They're friends of mine,' was all Daniel said, keeping his eyes on Esposito's face. 'I'll take care of her, Javier.'

'Can I...I want to stay with her. I don't want her to be alone.'

'You can stay with her until we take her into the OR,' Daniel replied. 'Then she's with us.'

'Javi.' Meredeth's voice was a husky, whimpering whisper. 'Tessi...Trini...Leo...love you guys.'

'Don't you dare, missy.' Esposito kissed her on the mouth, full and firm. 'You aren't doing that on me. I didn't do that to you when I was shot. Besides, did you hear? That fourth baby of ours needs you here too.'

'Uh-huh. God!' Meredeth let out a thin scream, curled into a ball, which spurred Harvey, Bruce and Daniel into action.

'Nurse Brick are we cleared for an OR?'

'OR Five.'

'Let's move, people.'

Esposito kept his grip firmly on Meredeth's hand, almost jogging to keep up with the speed of the gurney to the elevators. Daniel put a hand on Esposito's chest as the doors slid open. 'Easy bro,' he murmured.

'You said-'

'This is as far as you go. That elevator opens right into OR Five, it's for emergent cases like this.'

'Mere, I love you so much baby, I love you,' he told her, gave her another kiss on the forehead.

'I love you. All of you.'

'We'll see you soon, my love.'

Esposito closed his eyes and heard the doors shut, then opened them and looked around.

Meredeth was goign into surgery, to save her life and their baby's life.

His cell buzzed in his pocket, saw it was Andrea sending him an update on her end - _hail hail we're in the surgical floor waiting room._

Numbly, Esposito went to a wallmap and found his way there. When he arrived in the room, he saw the Castles, the Ryans, the George-Espositos, the Parrish-Robbins, the Bricks, the Mazzaras, his parents and Shane Weaver there, even his captain. They all stopped their low chatter when they saw him walk in. No one said a word, just watched him, and Esposito tried to think of something to say to them.

Then his father stood up, stepped towards him and murmured, 'Mijo.'

'Papa.'

Whatever control Esposito had somehow managed to cling to was gone when his father pulled him against his chest. He wept against Alejo's broad shoulder and felt his father's dinner-plate sized hands stroke his head. Alejo's throat snapped shut as his boy, his tough guy, sobbed like a child.

'It's alright, son,' he whispered. 'She'll be fine, it'll be fine.'

Esposito could only nod numbly, and for a moment he was twelve years old again, letting his daddy reassure him there were no monster in the closet to get him. Then he felt another set of arms come around him from behind, recognized his partner's touch. Then more pressure as more of the men joined them, to let Esposito know he was not alone.


	7. Impatient Waiting

When he'd come back to himself just a little bit, Esposito sat down in a chair, stared at the table in the room where all the children were seated and colouring.

'What is going on, Javier?' Beckett asked in her quiet survivor's voice.

'There's good news and fu- really terrifying news, which do you want first?'

'The good news,' Shane said immediately. 'Always go with the good.'

'Meredeth is pregnant. Seven weeks,' he told them and they all looked hopeful.

'That's awesome you guys, did you just find out today?' Lanie asked in a timid voice.

'Lanie, let me finish.'

'Of course.'

'She also has an ovarian cyst that's close to bursting and if it ruptures, it could cause serious, life-threatening infection, so they are going to take out the cyst so that...so...'

Castle nodded in understanding. 'It's okay, Javier, we get the picture.'

'Javi? Here.'

Carey, ever a sympathetic one, walked over to the man he'd always thought larger than life, a superhero like his own father, and gave him his battered stuffed duck. 'Emilio is a good cuddler.'

'Thanks.' Esposito thought of how Tessi would...oh, god. The kids. 'I...Andrea, what is your mother's number, I have to call her, I-'

'I have it here. Would you like me to call her?'

'Yeah. I want Tessi here. The twins are too little, they would only get scared and not understand it, but Tessi...Tessi needs to be here.'

'Okay.'

Andrea stepped into the hallway to make the call, and Esposito closed his eyes, sighed. 'I thought the worst thing that would happen today was that Meredeth would get pissed off about me having dinner with Victoria and then we'd have a good cleansing fight about it, and then awesome make-up sex.'

'Javi, shhh!' Dell shushed him, scandalized at such casual use of the naughty S-word. 'There are little kids here!'

'Sorry, buddy, I forgot. I'm just worried about Meredeth.'

'Like Mama and Daddy worried about me when my sugars were all crazy?'

'Exactly like that.'

'No be 'cared, Javi.' RJ walked over, patted the cop's knee. 'She be fine, you see. Lanie had 'pation fo' Finn, she fine.'

'That's right I did,' Lanie agreed, then looked to Lili. 'You had one too with Rosie, and so did Honey-Milk with Mallory.'

'See? Jus' fine.'

Honey-Milk walked in then, in her scrubs; looking around she found Esposito and wrapped her arms around him. 'Javi, God, I just saw it on the surgical board. What happened?'

'I can't answer that question anymore Jenny,' he replied dully. 'I need to focus all my energy on not losing my mind right now.'

'Why don't we take a walk downstairs, a little fresh air and some coffee while we wait for Tessi and Agnes?' Shane stood up, walked over to him. 'It might help you clear your head.'

'Uh-huh.'

They walked outside and nearly bumped into Andrea, who looked wrecked. 'I'm going to my mother's to pick up Tessi,' she told them, 'Nessa, Trini and Leo are already asleep, but Tessi was just putting on her pj's.'

'Okay, whatever, just get my daughter here.'

Andrea gave him a hug, kissed his cheek in support. 'Back in a flash.'

She took off for the elevators, using her staff pass for the quick access elevators while Shane steered Esposito towards the bank of visitor lounge lifts. He knew there was a little coffee shop just by this bank on the main floor, so he stayed quiet with his friend. Only when they'd found something to drink and were outside, sitting on a bench in the fresh June air did Shane open his mouth.

'I know how you feel, Javi.'

'No, you don't.'

'Yes I do,' Shane insisted, 'or are you forgetting last December my fiancee had a miscarriage?'

_Shit_, was all Esposito could think. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that.'

'I've never been so scared or felt so useless to her in my life. All I could do was be there for her, to dry her tears or let her bitch it out and god help me but I've never felt like less of a man in my life going through that with her. You and I, Ryan, Dave, Gil, even Castle, all of us are guys in very hands-on fix-it careers and when we can't do that...this is what happens.'

'How did you not go crazy worrying about her, Shane? I know how much you love her, how...Christ, I don't even know how to speak right now.'

'I think we'll let it go,' Shane said dryly and made Esposito give a little laugh. 'I'll tell you one thing about doctors, we take the route that is the best for the patient.'

'Your patients are already in the afterlife when they see you,' he pointed out, but Shane shook his head.

'And I still service them by making sure no stone is left unturned in finding a cause of death. If I know a test is going to take a little longer but it's the right one to do, I do it. The doctors for the living are no different. Surgeons get a rep for being knife-happy thrill-seekers but-'

'Shane. Stop talking about medicine. Something, fucking _anything_ would be better right now.'

The pathologist pursed his lips; he could think of only one thing at the moment. 'Wanna see the new ink?'

'Sure.'

Shane stood up, stripped off his shirt and held his left arm up like a scarecrow for his friend to see the tattoo, six lines of navy blue block letters. 'Pretty sick, huh?'

'I don't have my glasses on, and it's dark. What does it say?'

'It says Woman was created from the rib of man. Not from his head to be above him, nor from his feet to be beneath him but from his side, to be his equal, near his arm to be protected and near his heart to be loved.'

'That's beautiful, man.' Esposito rubbed at his nose, sighed. 'I'd never have pegged you for a human doodle-pad, though.'

'I like them. I know when Alexis and I have kids, I'm getting a series of hearts right here.' He pointed to his left pectoral. 'One for Lex, and as many as I need for our babies.'

'Oh, I can't wait to see Castle's face when you tell him you knocked up his daughter.'

'Technically I already did, it just didn't stick.'

'That's true.'

They sat outside the hospital, chatting about nothing of particular importance so that Esposito didn't have to think about the fact that his wife was fighting for her life and their baby's life. He watched, waiting every time a cab swung to the curb and felt disappointed when it wasn't Andrea returning with Tessi. Finally, finally, there was a sleek black town car that pulled up and Andrea popped out with Tessi still fully dressed and her backpack on her shoulder. She raced over to her daddy, and Esposito nearly broke seeing his little princess. Meredeth always teased Tessi she was just like Esposito but he knew the truth - all the best parts of his first-born angel came from his beautiful Meredeth.

'Daddy, what is going on!' Tessi said in a tremulous voice. 'What is wrong, where is Mami?'

'Mami...Mami went to the doctor's office today and he told her that she had something wrong inside her body, something that wasn't supposed to be there, and she needed an operation right away to get it out,' he explained in a voice thick with tears but he didn't let them spill.

Tessi's chin wobbled but her eyes were clear. 'I will go tell her not to be scared.'

'Tessi, Mami's already in with the doctors, they are doing the operation right now.'

'No!' Now her little face turned bright red and tears spurted out. 'I gotta say I love you, I gotta tell her that!'

'Tessi, it's okay to be scared, I'm very scared too, princess.'

'No!' she repeated and broke down in his arms, sobbing against his shoulder. 'That's not fair!'

'I know, baby, it's so not fair, but we need to be brave for Mami, just like she was brave for me.'

Suddenly inspired, Esposito tugged up his shirt-sleeve and twisted his arm to show her the scar from his bullet wound. 'See this?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Back before Mami and I were married, I was tracking down a bad guy with Auntie Katie and Uncle Kevin, and the bad guy shot me. Your mami met me at the hospital and I was very scared and in a lot of pain. I had to have surgery too, and you know what?'

'What?' Tessi sniffled.

'Your mami was so brave, Tessi, she didn't cry once until she knew I was okay, in my hospital room after the doctors were done fixing me up.'

Esposito watched his daughter process this and with a courage he knew came straight from her mother, Tessi rubbed at her cheeks and stood up straight.

'I will make Mami puh-roud, Daddy.'

'That's my girl. I love you so much, Constance Tessiana Marie.'

'I love you too Daddy Javier Esuh-posito.'

They headed inside, Esposito knowing that Shane and Andrea were following them like an honour guard. Once inside upstairs, Tessi zeroed right in on Dell, and for a moment, Esposito felt relief when he saw the tender hug and kiss on the cheek the little boy gave his daughter. He had no doubt that Dell would make sure Tessi stayed comfortable and occupied while they waited.

The time passed slowly, like cold syrup moving down the side of a glass, until finally - finally - Bruce and Harvey both appeared in the doorway, as did Daniel.

'Javier, can we speak with you?'

Esposito's gut bottomed out, but he forced himself to his feet, reassured Tessi that he'd be back in a few minutes. His tone changed immediately when he was alone in the hallway with the doctors and the nurse anesthetist.

'What's going on?'

'The cyst ruptured, just as we were about to remove it. She's okay,' Bruce said right away, knowing that would be the man's response, 'but we've had to remove her right ovary and a portion of her fallopian tube.'

'And the baby?'

'Just fine, but it will be touch and go for the next forty-eight hours. Right now we are keeping her under sedation-'

'She's in a coma?' Esposito's voice rose several octaves in panic.

'No, she's under sedation,' Harvey corrected. 'She is conscious but asleep. Daniel will be monitoring her around the clock. As Bruce was saying, we're keeping her under sedation so she can rest because her biggest concern right now is any kind of infection so we've put her in a private room in an isolation chamber for twenty-four hours.'

'Jesus Christ.'

Bruce put his hand on Esposito shoulder. 'Meredeth came through the surgery and so did the baby, that's the biggest hurdle. We're now in a proactive position which is why we're isolating her from germs that could pose any risk.'

'What about...nutrition and her body caring for the baby? What about her incision and everything like that?'

'Javi, I know you've got a million questions on your mind,' Daniel told him in his gentle-giant voice, 'but all three of us agree that the best course of action is to answer those question for you both together at the same time.'

'Can I see her? Can I at least bring Tessi in to see her?'

'Why don't I bring you to her first, and then we can make that call?'


	8. Tessi Praying

_Hello all, are you buying stock in 3M-Kleenex yet? I must give this chapter a dedication to my main gal **anomalymona** for dialoguing out this scene with me and giving me the first draft that evolved into this chapter. Couldn't have done it without you girl! Also, prepare to cry!_

* * *

><p>'Oh man.'<p>

'Javi, trust me, it's not as scary as it looks.'

Esposito could only stand and stare at the plastic sheets surrounding Meredeth's bed. She was hooked up to an IV and had an oxygen line as well, but aside from those things, she might have been asleep in their bed. He wanted to crawl in beside her, to touch her face and hear her heartbeat but he couldn't; for the first time in nearly four years, he'd sleep without his beautiful Meredeth beside him in bed that night.

'Oh, baby,' he murmured, approaching the plastic curtains. He looked over at Bruce and Harvey. 'Is there any way I can touch her? Can I put on scrubs or a haz-mat suit or something?'

'I'm sorry. Medical personnel only, Javi, but she's looking good.'

'Looking good?' Esposito's voice was low as he advanced towards Bruce and Harvey. 'My wife is in the ICU under sedation and in isolation, how the hell can you tell me she's looking good.'

'Javi, Javi, Javi!' Daniel quickly used his larger size to block his friend's physical reaction. 'Mere is in the best shape she can be given the circumstances. If this rupture had happened anywhere else both she and the baby migh already be gone.'

Esposito shook his head in disbelief even as he read the truth of the situation in his friend's upset eyes. He barely heard Harvey's commentary on antibiotics she would receive over the next critical hours. When Harvey called his name, Esposito was pressing his palm against the plastic barrier in a single gesture of utter heartbreak, tears coursing unheeded down his face.

Daniel gave Harvey and Bruce a look, and once the other men were gone he walked over and clamped one large hand on Esposito's shoulder.

'She's strong Javi,' Daniel murmured to his hurting friend. 'I remember you calling her a superhero when she was in labour. We are doing everything that can be done and you know nobody has more fight than Mere."

Esposito looked at him with the long stare of someone in the early stages of shock, and it nearly snapped even Daniel's iron-clad will.

'How can I help her?" he asked brokenly. 'I can't let her do this alone and if I lost her-'

'You cut that shit right now, Detective.' Daniel's voice was cold steel and cut him off mid word, pushing him out the door. As a nurse anesthetist, he firmly believed that even in a sedated or unconcious state his patients could hear what was said around them. 'You wanna help her, that's the first thing you do. Meredeth needs a healing, positive environment and you singing the what-if song around her isn't going to help one friggin' bit.'

'Then tell me what will.'

'Music. Music is a great healer for patients like Meredeth. When she's in the bath with a glass of wine, or you two are having a romantic night together, what on the stereo?'

'A lot of Bob Marley, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz. She also likes jazz classics, especially Charlie Parker and Ella Fitzgerald.'

'Sounds perfect. Load up her iPod, I've got a set of speakers I can set up near her bed so she'll hear it.'

'What if...Meredeth has voice recording software, she uses it for her writing,' Esposito added, thinking of something else. 'Maybe we could get everyone to record a get better message, alternate that with the songs?'

'Even better,' Daniel agreed. 'Hearing our voices cheering her on would be great.'

'Excuse me.'

They looked over, saw a pretty Korean woman with neon pink stripes in her hair that matched her black and pink striped scrubs. In her hands was a clip board and d a package of shrink wrapped protective clothing.

'Hey Tash. Javi, this is Natasha Yu, she's another nurse anesthetist. She and I are assigned to Meredeth and only her for the next forty-eight. This is Detective Javi Esposito, Meredeth's husband.'

'I'm going to go change and then sit with her.'

'What are you going to read?'

'_Sign of the Four._ Sherlock Holmes is good for patients like this, because the puzzle of a mystery helps keep their brain engaged whether they know it or not,' Natasha explained, then went to the small glass-partitioned room big as a public bathroom stall, and pulled on the protective clothing over top of her scrubs. Once covered up she moved into the chamber, sat down on the stool beside Meredeth's bed. Before she started to read, Esposito saw her brush a lock of Meredeth's hair off her brow, and he knew he could trust this woman.

'I want to go see my daughter,' he whispered to Daniel.

'Let's go find her.'

They left the ICU room, Daniel shutting the door behind him and Esposito did his best to ignore the bio-hazard sticker on the door, warning people that a patient with limited immunal defenses was in that room. When they got to the waiting room, Esposito looked around at the crowd of people.

'Where's Tessi?'

'She's...' Honey-Milk looked amongst the children. 'Where is she?'

Lili looked at them. 'I took her to the ladies room for a pee-break a little while ago but she came back here.'

'You lost my child?' Esposito's pupils went to pinpricks. 'Where is Tessi?'

'Come to think of it, where is Dell,' Ryan added, noting his son had also not returned from his bathroom visit. He felt a zip of fear, looked at Esposito.

'Guys.' Beckett flipped open her phone, dialed the hospital switchboard. 'We'll get the hospital on lockdown, let them know where Tessi went.'

'She's talking to God.'

All eyes turned to Carey, who had piped up sleepily. 'Tessi went to talk to God,' he repeated, sitting up with a yawn.

Lanie crouched so she could look her son in the eye, hands on his shoulders, and asked as calmly as possible, 'What do you mean she went to talk to God, baby?'

Carey squinted as he explained, 'She heard you say Meredeth might go to heaven and she went to talk to God about it."

"She knows better than to wander around the hospital by herself!' Esposito exclaimed causing the other little ones to stir.

'She's not by herself Javi,' Carey explained patiently; even grown-ups needed help understanding things sometimes. 'Dell knew where to find God. He went with her.'

The adults looked at each other puzzled until Honey-Milk snapped her fingers. 'The chapel. You have to walk past the chapel to get to the daycare and after-school rooms.'

* * *

><p>As the elevator doors opened to the floor where the chapel was located they found Dell outside the doors, a weather eye keeping track of moment up and down the hall; he'd be there to save her from anything that might harm her.<p>

'Thomas Delaney Ryan, you are in big trouble young man!' The ferocity of Ryan's whisper was all for show so he wouldn't be crushed by the relief of finding his son.

Dell squared his shoulders and looked his father straight in the eye. 'Yes, Daddy, I know we shouldn't have left but my Tessi had an emergency!'

'No buts,' Ryan went on sternly. 'Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?'

His insides were jelly, but Dell didn't waver. 'I just couldn't let my Tessi be by herself. But you are here now so we will go inside and ask Tessi if she is done leaving God a message.'

Exasperated, Ryan yanked open the door to the chapel, kept his hand on his son's shoulder, watched Esposito rush to the very front-most pew, where Tessi was speaking in a quiet voice outloud.

'Tessi, oh thank God.' Esposito knelt, pulled her hard against him into his arms, then gripped her shoulders. 'Constance Tessiana Marie, you know better than to wander off on your own! What did you think you were doing?'

His voice had raised to a un-churchly volume, until Tessi lifted her face to him and he saw the tear-stains covering her cheeks.

'I gotta talk to God about Mami. She is very sick, and God c-c-can fix what's wrong because he loves Mami, but I had to c-come and as-k him nicely because Mami always says ask nicely,' Tessi protested haltingly.

All the fire, the fury went out of Esposito as he gathered his baby in his arms, rocked back and forth with her. '_Mija_,' he crooned softly much as his father had comforted him moments before. "I'm sorry you were scared. But you scared Daddy even more when you dissappeared.'

'I'm sorry Daddy," Tessi whispered miserably. 'I have to tell God how much we love Mami. Dell said he lives here but I can't find him Daddy, he isn't home.'

Esposito cleared his throat as he struggled with what to tell Tessi. He'd stopped attending Mass regularly long ago and while he believed in God he hadn't practiced his faith in a long long time. He had a memory flash of himself and Meredeth sitting in the chapel at George Washington Memorial, thought of how Meredeth had spoken to a God they couldn't see as they worried over Lili and Rosie.

'God is everywhere Tessi,' he heard himself say, then gruffly went on, 'We can't see Him but we know that He is here. He is taking care of Mami and he is taking care of us.'

'But 'buela goes to God's house to talk to him,' Tessi said, confused. 'So does _tia_ Lili.'

'Yes, she does. But she can talk to Him anywhere, anytime and we can too. You don't have to run off to find him He is with you in your heart all the time. You know how we breath the air but we can't see it?'

'Uh-huh.' Tessi nodded, listening intently.

'God is like that even when we can't see Him He is with us.'

'Then we should talk to him now!' Tessi declared emphatically.

Esposito nodded slowly, struck by the simple trust of his daughter. She had led him to this place, back to a part of himself he had set aside. He might not practice in the ways of his childhood but God had not changed and Tessi was helping him remember that.

'What shall we say, princess?' Esposito sat on the pew and put Tessi beside him, took his daughter's hand the same way he had held her mother's that night years ago. He listened to Tessi's request with the honesty and purity that only a child's heart could show.

"God, it is Tessiana Esposito and my daddy Javier Esposito. We know you are busy helping my mami. The doctor's said she may have to leave and come to you in heaven. Please don't take her away right now. Me and Daddy and the twins need her. I know that is selfish but she is our only mami and we need her here. You have lots of angels to keep you company and Daddy says Mami is his angel so we need her with us. Please make her feel better and let her stay with us. Thank you. Amen.'

For the first time since the ordeal began Esposito felt a flicker in his heart that wasn't anguish. He struggled to place it and realized it was hope. Meredeth was still very ill, yet his child's faith had suddenly reaquainted him with his own. He stood up, then boosted Tessi into his arms so she knew he was looking into her eyes.

'That is a very good job talking to God Tessiana, but don't you ever run off without a grown-up again.'

"I won't Daddy and I understand I will be on a time-out. But don't give Dell a time-out, he was keeping me safe.'

'Deal.'

Esposito kissed her cheek, set her back to her feet, and hands still linked, they walked to the back pew where they found Ryan and Dell making the sign of the cross as they added their own prayers to Tessi's talk with God.


	9. Family Supporting

They arrived back in the lounge, saw everyone was still there, somehow crowded into the tiny room. _Like popes in a Volkswagen_, Meredeth was fond of saying, Esposito thought; he had no idea what the hell she meant but it always made him laugh. The little ones were all lined up like little Q-tips on the floor - Honey-Milk had managed to procure some blankets and a couple of medium sized cots so that the siblings were all doubled up with each other. He could see Castle had worked his usual magic and the table instead of being covered with crayons and papers and colouring books held salads and pasta and chicken sandwiches.

They were all still there, was all he could think, even his mother who had to be up early for the bakery. Even more interesting was the addition of Alexis with Shane Weaver.

'When did you get here, Lex?' he asked numbly, sitting down with Tessi in his lap.

'About fifteen minutes ago, I was in an exam tonight and my next one isn't until next Monday, so I can be here for a day or two if you need me,' she replied, her own blue eyes showing signs of weeping. 'How is Meredeth?'

'So far so good,' Esposito started, then stopped when Robina Mazzara came back in, temper snapping.

'I don't fucking believe this. Sorry, Javi,' she added as an afterthought when she saw Tessi on his lap, wide awake. 'I'm going to kill them, then strangle them, then kill them again!'

'Daddy, Robina said a bad word,' Dell hissed indignantly.

'Yes, I heard him, my little language police,' Ryan chuckled, then shifted his son's weight on his lap. 'Who are we talking about?'

'Tessi, Dell, cover your ears.' When the children had done so and their parents clamped their own hands overtop, Robina exploded. 'Those stupid fuckers down at TMZ somehow managed to get pictures of Meredeth in the ICU and are saying that she's in for a full-body plastic surgery so she will look right for her part in _Spring Awakening_.'

'How is that possible?' Beckett asked, appalled.

'Ugh, I don't even want to know, but is there any way we can talk to

Esposito looked at Beckett and Ryan and could see they all had the same thought. 'I've got an in with someone in top-notch private security, Robina.'

'Who?'

'Victoria Russo.'

'Don't know her, but if you say she's good, I trust your judgement, Javi,' Robina agreed. 'You have her contact info?'

Esposito fished into his wallet, gave her the card that had Victoria's information on it to her without a second thought, then looked at everyone. 'Thank you all, guys, I know I - _we_ - wouldn't have gotten through this tonight without you.'

'We are here for you, whatever you need us to do, even if you just need a hug,' Dell said staunchly, and came over to sit beside Tessi and Esposito. 'Tessi, do you need a hug?'

'Yes, puh-lease Dell.'

He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her, making an 'mmmm' noise as he squished her close. 'There you go.'

'Mooshes too.'

'Okay.' Dell pecked her cheek, making them both blush a little at the ooohs from their parents. 'Mama, can Tessi have a sleepover at our house?'

'Actually Dell, she's going to be staying with Nessa's grandmother tonight,' Andrea told him, then spoke directly to Esposito. 'My mother lives the closest to the hospital, so it's easiest for you to get here from there.'

'What about Arturo?'

'We'll take care of him,' Alexis volunteered, holding Shane's hand tightly in hers. 'We'll stay at your place in Chelsea and make sure that everything stays working there.'

'Thanks, Lex.'

'My mother is expecting you,' Andrea added, and in the style of any mother worth her salt, began to take one of the empty containers and fill it up with food. 'Plenty of pasta and everything left here.'

'Daddy, may I puh-lease have a sandwich?' Tessi rubbed her tummy, learning far too young just how much energy the body sapped through worry and stress. 'I am feeling suh-nacky.'

'Yes, a small one, but we're going to go to Agnes' house to eat, okay?'

'How soon?'

'Soon, my princess.'

Tessi nodded, thumped her head against her daddy's shoulder. 'I want Mami to get better very very soon.'

As it was the sentiment shared in the room, no one said anything for a moment. Then Dave piped up with something no one else had been thinking about. 'Hey, we should be focusing on the positive of this night. Meredeth is pregnant again, you guys are having another baby!'

'Thanks Dave, but until I know Meredeth is okay, I don't even want to think about that part of it,' Esposito said with a small smile.

'Understandable.'

Harvey walked into the room then, looked at Esposito. 'Javier, a moment?'

Esposito nodded, set Tessi on the chair and then stepped into the hallway with his wife's OBGYN. 'So what's the story, Harvey?'

'The baby's vitals are holding strong, very strong. It's still too early to say anything definitive but at this point the baby is going to make it. There will be a lot more monitoring than Meredeth had even with the twins, because her body is trying to adjust her hormone levels without the ovary.'

'But she'll still be able to safely have the baby?'

'Again, too early to say for certain, but at this point Meredeth will be able to choose whether she will deliver with a push birth or a c-section.'

'Thank you, James,' Esposito replied using the doctor's given name. 'For everything. I know I was an ass earlier, and-'

'You don't owe me an apology. I have three daughters, Javi, and my wife had to have an emergency hysterectomy after having the last one. I understand your stress. But you've got a great network and don't let Meredeth or yourself be too proud to lean on them.'

'We're not. Not on this one.'

'Are you planning on bringing the kids to see Meredeth?'

'Yeah, about that, I had an idea.'

When he was done with the doctor, Esposito simply slumped against the wall and dragged a hand over his face. It had been a hell of a long day and he just needed to go home and sleep. He wanted the bliss of sleep to just take it all away for a few hours; he realized it was time to go home.

Walking back into the lounge Esposito looked at them all with profound gratitude. 'Thanks for everything you guys, but I've...I need some sleep. I have to talk to the twins in the morning.'

'Sure. Okay, troops, let's roll out.' Cam, who'd been so quiet he was nearly invisible the whole night, got to his feet with his cane. 'Lance Corporal Ryan, on your feet.'

Dell, who knew this routine well, was on his feet and giving Cam a little salute. 'Yessir, Lieutenant.'

'Round up the PFC's and privates, and see they follow special forces orders, oo-rah?'

'Oo-rah, sir!'

Esposito burst out laughing at the sight of it. 'What the hell is that?' he asked, watching Dell go over and gentle wake the children up, letting them know it was time to go home.

'A little thing we've started doing. Dell's the oldest and likes being in charge, so I started calling him Private, and he's had to move up in rank with good deeds done for the little ones. He's at Lance Corporal now and he is very excited to be treated like a man.' Cam rubbed his cane against his leg where his knee was itching. 'Rosie is determine to outrank him since she's the oldest girl in our clan.'

'Lieutenant George!' Dell stood back in front of him, heels together and arms straight at his sides. 'All troops are assigned to their special units. Awaiting next orders, sir!'

'At ease, Lance Corporal, you are to report to the Irish Gunners Fifty-Sixth Regiment and await further co-ordinates there.'

'Aye, sir!'

'Dell, you wanna let me in on that?' Esposito asked him, and Dell shook his head.

'A good soldier never reveals his position to the enemy.'

'But Esposito is special forces, he's a warrant officer, like your CO, remember?' Cam teased him.

'Oh, right.' Dell turned to Esposito. 'See, I'm the Lance Corporal in charge of the little kids who are the troops, and their mamas and daddies are the special branches of our little army.'

'Ah, I understand.'

'I am a puh-rivate, Daddy,' Tessi said sleepily. 'We going home?'

'We're going to Agnes' house, since it's closer to the hospital than our house.'

'What about Artie?'

'Alexis and Shane are looking after him,' Esposito reassured her; Tessi's first and last love may have been Dell Ryan, but her baby was her dog, as from the moment Tessi had come home from the hospital he'd devoted himself to her. 'He's probably very worried about Mami too.'

They all started to file out of the lounge, and Esposito waited until they were the last ones with Andrea, who was saying good-bye to Daniel as he was on the night-shift with Meredeth.

'Anduh-rea?'

'Yes, sweetie,' Andrea replied as they stepped onto the elevator.

'Does your mami have orange juice in her 'figerator?'

'Absolutely, and she also makes great oatmeal.'

'Trini and Leo like oatmeal, but not meal.' Tessi shook her head. 'It is way too mushy.'

'How about bagels?'

'Toasted with honey?'

Andrea smiled. 'Sure you can have that.'

Like most who'd suffered a major shock, Esposito didn't remember getting from the hospital to Agnes' apartment. One moment he was on the elevator and the next he was in her kitchen, with Andrea leading Tessi into the nursery where there was a trundle bed set up for her and the twins.

'You look like you could use a quart of bourbon,' Agnes commented dryly, 'but since the strongest stuff I have in my cupboards is cough syrup, how about a Coke?'

'Just water, Agnes, I've got way too much caffeine in me as it is.'

'Well, whenever your ready, the pull-out is all made up.'

Esposito glanced over, saw the wide sofa had its hideaway bed all set with sheets and pillows for him. That she'd already gotten things ready to make him feel so welcome during a stressful time nearly set him off once more. Instead he drank the ice water with lemon she offered him.

'Thanks, I appreciate this. I, ah, don't have fresh clothes for the morning.'

'I'm sure a quick call can fix that. Bathroom's across from the nursery.'

Esposito found it, hung his clothes neatly on the towel hook on the back of the door. When he made his way back into the living room, crawled onto the bed, he'd just turned over on his side to sleep when he heard the sounds of little feet approaching. Rolling back, he saw not only Tessi but Trini and Leo too. They were all holding hands and looking scared.

'What is it, guys?' he asked.

'Tessi say Mami sick. She in ho'pital,' Trini said with a tremble in her voice.

'She gotta ge' bedda,' Leo added.

'Daddy, can we stay with you tonight?' Tessi asked.

'Of course.'

Moving to give them enough space, Tessi lay on one side of her father with her stuffed Crush while Trini took the other side and Leo squished in beside her. All their fingers pulled the light sheet up and over all four of their bodies, and Esposito reached over to turn out the light.


	10. Positive Thinking

The next morning, Esposito awoke to the scent of coffee and toast, and the lack of weight around him in the bed. Sitting up, he looked around and saw all three of his children sitting at Agnes' kitchen table nibbling on toast and drinking juice. All three had their hair brushed and their clothes were fresh, not the ones they'd worn the day before.

'Daddy!' Trini set down her piece of toast, brushed away crumbs from her mouth. 'Mornin' Daddy!'

'Hi Daddy!' Leo added, shoveling in a mouthful of oatmeal.

'Look at you guys, already up and ready to go.'

'Anduh-rea said today we get to go with Nessa and Mallory to the hosuh-pital school!' Tessi, who had already finished eating and was tidying up her place at the table, smiled gently. 'We are going to make cards for Mami and then bring them to her to make her suh-mile.'

'Actually, it's a little bit more complicated, Tessi. Mami can't have visitors until tomorrow.'

'Why not?'

Esposito sighed, went over to sit with his children and look them in the eye. 'Mami had to have an operation last night to make sure she gets better,' he started, and blinked when Trini and Leo simply nodded. 'You guys don't look surprised by that.'

'Tessi say so,' Leo told him, looking to the wisdom of his big sister. ' 'Pation 'cary. Mami bedda now?'

'She is getting better, Leo, but the kind of operation she had means that her immune system, the thing that keeps all the germs out, isn't working so well right now and we all have little germs on our bodies that might make her sick again. So her doctors said that she has to stay away from people for a day or two until her immune system is all better. But there is something we're going to do for her.'

'Whassat?' Trini asked, her eyes hopeful; she wanted to be as much help to her mami as she could, just like her big sister did.

'We are all going to use Mami's computer to record our voices so that the doctors and Daniel can play our get-better-soon messages.'

'Ooo, goo' 'dea, Daddy,' Leo breathed in approval, then looked a little sad. 'She miss us?'

'Oh, of course she does, my main man.' Esposito brushed a hand over his son's head. 'And I bet when she wakes up tomorrow morning and can have visitors, we're going to be the first four people she wants to see.'

'C-c...oh, man!'

'It okay, Tessi,' Trini reassured her sister, sympathetic to her struggle. 'Mami say take time.'

'C..come on everyone, we have things to do for Mami today,' Tessi said, and grinned when Trini held out her bunched up fingertips.

'Feeda birdies, Tessi.'

The sight of his children bonding together, helping and supporting each other like this instead of fighting and squabbling had the flicker of hope in Esposito's heart - the one he'd felt when he'd held Tessi close to him in the chapel the night before - burn a little brighter this morning. That he didn't have to worry about their communication breaking down meant he could take comfort in the security of them getting along and being their own little buddy-network while he looked after other things, like helping Robina deal with the press and getting private security arranged so no more press could get in to take more photos.

After a quick shower and redressing in his clothes from the previous day he found a little bit of mouthwash and swished it around to try and clear the sweat-sock morning-breath taste from his mouth; when he emerged from the bathroom, he saw Agnes there, a blue and white cloth bag in her hands, and in each of his children's hands were a small cloth bag as well.

'Now, remember, the grown-ups are going to be just as scared and confused as you are today, okay? So if they yell, try not to get upset,' she told them, then straightened to her full height when she saw Esposito. 'I hope you don't mind.'

'What is this?'

'Anduh-rea's mami said we all deserve a little something for being so mature while Mami is sick,' Tessi said. 'What does 'mature' mean, Daddy?'

'It's another way of saying 'grown-up', princess.'

'We g'own-up!' Trini patted her brother's shoulder. 'We b'ave fo' Mami, we ma-ture, Daddy.'

'We be goo',' Leo added, not to be outdone by his twin, then walked over to Esposito to thrust out his bag for insepction. 'Agnes nice, Daddy, she say it ours.'

Esposito took the bag, and looked inside. There was a small pack of child-sized playing cards, a pack of crayons, a blank note pad for doodling or games of hangman and tic-tac-toe, and a travel-sized colouring book; for Leo, he had jungle animals.

'That's very nice of you, Agnes,' Esposito said. 'You didn't have to do that.'

'They are good children and haven't been bad once,' Agnes replied smoothly, making Tessi blush as she remembere her transgression the night before with Dell, 'and that deserves a treat.'

'Bu' not all-time,' Trini chipped in. 'Then no' 'pishal.'

'Exactly, not all the time because then it's not special.' She held out the bigger bag to Esposito. 'You get one too, handsome.'

The little boy inside him was thrilled to get a gift, and he opened the bag to see there was a sudoku book, a package of mechanical pencils, an iTunes gift card worth fifty dollars and of course, an economy pack of peanut M&M's - his favourite chocolate snack.

'Agnes, this is too much,' he started but Agnes waved him off.

'The whole reason I came back to New York was to take care of my family, and you are family to Andrea, so you're as good as mine.'

'A'nes, Daddy need yummies,' Leo said, patted his father's stomach like he was Arturo. 'Need gas forda tank.'

'Yes he does. Oh, and Andrea called while you were in the shower, she said to tell you that Alexis and Shane took care of Artie, they are bringing you fresh clothes and Meredeth's laptop to the hospital.'

'Okay.' Why they hadn't just called him directly baffled Esposito momentarily, then made the logical leap they didn't want to wake him or disturb him if he was already at the hospital with the doctors or Meredeth herself. Thinking of her, alone inside four plastic walls, he ignored the rumble in his stomach and glanced at his watch. Almost seven. Damn his kids were early risers today, he thought.

'Agnes, we make have to make whatever it is you want me to eat one for the road, I want to get there so I can talk to Daniel before he changes shifts.'

'Understandable.' Agnes reached into the fridge, pulled out what appeared to be an honest-to-goodness bento box. 'This is for you.'

He looked at the fancy Japanese box, divided into three sections; the first sections had sliced bacon and potatoes, the middle had sliced melon and mixed berry salad, and the third portion sliced bread with light cheese of some kind. 'Wow,' was all he said.

'I've been taking some cooking courses,' she said bashfully, 'and the latest one is on at-home dining presentations. Plus I really like using the bento-boxes Andrea sent me from Tokyo. Don't worry, I know you'll bring it back.'

'Thanks.' Esposito set it on the table and gave her a tight embrace. 'For everything. Okay, troops!'

He watched Tessi, Trini and Leo get in a little line and put their hands to their foreheads in a salute. 'Aye, Daddy,' Tessi said.

'Let's fall out. We leave no Mami behind.'

* * *

><p>By the time he dropped the children at the hospital's daycare, Esposito felt slightly more in his mind and body as he went into the lounge and found Alexis and Shane already there with his clothes and Meredeth's laptop.<p>

'Hey, bro, you're looking a lot better,' Shane said enthusiastically.

'Yeah?'

'Yeah, I know that look, you've got a game plan.'

'We're going to record voice messages for Meredeth so while she is out, she can hear us cheering her on to get better,' he explained. 'And then we're all going to pick a song for her and put it on her iPod so she can hear us. You guys are the guinea pigs.'

Alexis looked a little surprised, then intrigued. 'What does she like? Or what did the doctors say was a good idea?'

'It was Daniel's idea actually, and he said soft, soothing, positive. Think romantic night with a lover, think sexy bath-tub, think summer-time at the Hamptons on the beach happy music.'

'Got it.'

Esposito opened Meredeth's laptop, entered under her guest account and found her software; he plugged in the recording headphones and passed them to Alexis. 'Just speak from the heart,' he told her when he saw her hesitate. 'I'll give you a countdown.'

Alexis recorded her message, then passed the device to Shane who added his own get-wells. When they were filed and set-up in the iTunes library, they each picked out a song for Meredeth - from Alexis, Charlie Parker's rendition of 'Summertime' from _Porgy and Bess_ and Shane the guitar-guy went for his favourite Jack Johnson.

'Thanks guys,' Esposito said, pleased he was finally able to do something productive for his wife while she was in crisis where he could only stand aside and let trained-professional others do their medical thing to take care of her. 'How was Arturo?'

'Confused, but thankful someone was home,' Alexis replied, looking ravaged herself. 'You want to hear some good news?'

'You're pregnant again?'

'No,' she laughed. 'No, Shane and I have picked the place where we're going to get married.'

'Hey, that's great.'

'We're having it at Shane's temple, the one he goes to for Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur.' Alexis turned and kissed her fiance's cheek, gave him a devilish grin. 'Not a boat in sight.'

'I have to ask,' Esposito said, very thankful he also had this distraction now, 'what is with the no boats thing?'

'Someone amongst us-' Shane pointed at Alexis '-is afraid of big boats like yachts and cruise ships.'

'I'm not afraid of them, I am appropriately apprehensive,' she retorted with great dignity.

'I think someone's watched _Titanic_ or _The Poseidon Adeventure_ once too often.'

'I have not. Besides, I don't want other guests getting sea-sick.'

_Total fraidy-cat,_ Shane mouthed to Esposito as Alexis produced her beeping cellphone from her purse, and Esposito wisely swallowed the chuckle.

'My parents are here, and so is RJ, he's asking to see Trini,' Alexis informed them, looked up at Esposito. 'She's in the daycare, right?'

'Yeah. We'll work something out, I don't want anyone getting stressed right now, least of all the kids.'

'A daddy through and through.'

'Excuse me, Javier?'

All three looked up, saw Harvey there in his street clothes; it looked so strange to see him in something other than a suit or a pair of well-worn scrubs under his white coat. Over his shoulder was a sports bag and in his hand was a leather briefcase with his patient files. He looked about as knock-down dragged out as Esposito felt, but the detective got to his feet, met Harvey in the hallway.

'How's Meredeth?'

'Good, she had a really good night last night. No dips, no spikes and your baby is one tough little monkey. She's still under sedation but, and I'm not making any promises, we might be able to let you have a cot in her room tonight so you can sleep beside her. She'll still be inside the plastic,' Harvey went on, reading the man's hopeful expression, 'but her progression back to health hasn't slipped yet so...we'll see.'


	11. Meredeth Dreaming I

_Hello everyone! Once again thanks for your awesome feed back about my work...I DON'T OWN ANYTHING, INCLUDING THE LINE FORM THE SONG INCLUDED IN THIS CHAPTER ! Castle-ites, you will know which one I mean._

* * *

><p>Meredeth was in Central Park, only it wasn't Central Park she knew. They were on the moon, as she could see Earth in the sky, near the sun. In the distance she could hear music, undercut with a steady beeping noise. Looking around, she took a step towards a very familiar place - Strawberry Fields, one of her favourite spots to go in the park. Her footsteps felt light and bouncy, like she was walking on marshmellows.<p>

'You always knew how to turn a phrase, Merry-Cherry.'

She glanced around and felt her eyes widen. 'Mom?'

'Hi, baby.'

Freja Coleman's smile was identical to her daughter's and she was in her favourite scrubs, the olive-green with her camouflage scrub cap hanging from her back pocket. Around her neck was the insignia charm of the NSAF. She looked exactly the same as the last time Meredeth had seen her. 'You've had a busy day,' she commented.

'Am I dead, is this heaven?'

'No, you're not dead, just on some serious sleepy-time drugs.'

'How do I know you're not just saying that?'

'Easy. Hear that?' Freja held up a finger. 'That beeping noise is your heart-rate being monitored by the doctors.'

'Oh. So if I can hear that, I survived the operation?'

'You both did,' Freja smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. 'Minus an ovary, but I went through the same thing shortly after you were born.'

'So then why the sleepy drugs?'

'The doctor will tell you when you wake up. But since I'm here now. Ask anything you want.'

Meredeth could only think of one thing. 'Can...I mean, will Javi and I...'

'Can you still enjoy sex?'

'Yeah.'

'Of course. Your body will make adjustments to your hormonal output, but you and that gorgeous hubby of yours will still rattle some headboards,' Freja said with a wink, then looked at the sky. 'Hold on. Incoming message from the Big Blue Beyond.'

_Mere, it's me, baby, I'm back, I spent the night with the kids at Agnes' and I'm here now. I'm not going to leave you, so you better not do the same._

Meredeth wrinkled her eyebrows as Esposito's voice. 'I'm here, Javi,' she called out, but Freja shook her head.

'This is all in your mind, Meredeth, but he knows you know it's him. Our men are funny like that. I know mine is.'

Meredeth turned around, blinked at seeing Ted Addison there in simple blue jeans and a warm polo sweater. Even more stunning was the way Freja breezed past her and wrapped her arms around his middle, tipping her face up to his. 'Hey handsome,' she purred at him, and Meredeth made a face as her mother gave him the kind of kiss that had given Meredeth and Esposito three babies.

When they broke apart, Meredeth could only shake her head at them. 'So if I'm not dead, why are you both here?'

'You want the kooky answer or the religious one?' Ted asked with a quirk of his lips.

'Surprise me.'

'We're part of you, Mere, both of us, and we're always here to keep an eye on you when you need our help.'

'Like angels?'

'Sure, if you like, or since you're more of a pop-culture nut, your space coyotes,' Freja replied.

'Space coyotes?'

'You know, your favourite Simpsons episode with Johnny Cash.'

'How could you know that, that episode aired six years after you died.'

'Well, as this is all in your head,' Ted pointed out, 'we have access to things only you know about.'

'Okay, that's just a little creepy.'

Once again, Meredeth heard music, this time it was Jack Johnson's 'Banana Pancakes' and she laughed. 'The first time I made Javi breakfast, I had this playing on my iPod radio.'

'He remembers that too, you know, he's made this playlist just for you.'

Meredeth looked at them again and nodded firmly. 'Okay, definitely space coyotes. So, if I can see you both now, and talk to you both now, where's Momo?'

The song changed again, to The Crystals and Meredeth felt her heart swell with love. She closed her eyes, opened them and she was on the sidewalk in Yorkville outside the movie theatre where she and Esposito had had their first date. The people rushed past them like ghosts, and a sudden gust of wind had her catchign the scent of his cologne and she felt the tingle all over.

'See?' Freja told her, nudging her in the side. 'You and your man will make it. You've had tough times before and you got through those.'

'We did,' Meredeth murmured; she could feel his hands on her shoulders, her neck, combing through her hair. 'But where's Momo?'

_Hey Mere, thought you might like to hear that one and think of your man, and all the things you and him and the kids will do when you're all better. We love you and we'll talk to you soon, love Alexis_

_Hey, Mere, it's Shane we want you to get better on the double because Alexis and I mos-def need your help to pick the right wedding cake out and who knows better than the gal who invented the Heart of Chelios?_

'Your grandmother's around here somewhere,' Freja said, then held out her hand. 'Wanna take a walk?'

'Okay.'

Meredeth blinked and they'd changed locations once more. They were on Twenty-Fifth Street, the block where her house was, only it was more like an old cartoon, where the background kept repeating itself over and over and over.

'Meredeth, you have to understand this wasn't your fault,' Freja told her, gently swinging their joined hands. 'This wasn't like when Javi got shot either. This was just your body having a malfunction.'

'But shouldn't the doctors have-'

'Doctors are human too, baby girl, not the robotic gods we think of them as when our loved ones need their care.'

The music switched again, so the air was now permeated with the sound of Billy Joel's _New York State of Mind_. 'That's ironically appropriate,' Meredeth murmured, looking around and around and seeing all her favourite places of the city like she was in her own version of a movie montage.

'Meredeth, listen to me,' Freja said in her stern motherly voice. 'Meredeth!'

'Yes, Lieutenant!'

'You are not to blame for your illness. There was no way for you to have known this is how it would come to light.'

'Right.'

'You know I'm right,' Freja insisted. 'You know this could have been a lot worse, and there was a reason that you went to the doctor's today.'

'So they could find it and fix it.'

Freja nodded. 'Exactly. You are meant to be doing exactly what you are doing now, Meredeth. Being a mother and a writer, that is your job now. Listen.'

_Hi-hi, Mami it's Tah-rini. Miss you lossa. Ge' bedda soon, I wan' a moosh._

_Ola Mami, it's Leo. I miss lossa too. We bein' good fo' Daddy._

_Hi Mami, it's Tessi, we are all hoping you get better very very q..quickly because we have a lot of things to do with you!_

'My babies,' Meredeth sighed, and for the first time since finding herself in this fantasy land, she felt an overwhelming sense of dispair. 'My children, they-'

'They need you, Meredeth,' Freja told her in the tone she'd used on soldiers whining about flesh wounds. 'And you will see them once you are done this stage of healing.'

'Can't it be done already?'

'You always were an impatient baby. Didn't want to wait to do anything.'

'As I recall you were no different.'

The location changed yet again - Meredeth was losing count of how fast her brain was giving her these changes of scenery. Now they were back in the park, only this time they were on the balcony overlooking Bethesda Terrace, and Meredeth looked down; this time the scene she saw was like watching her own memory as if it were a TV episode. She could see herself in her white dress holding Esposito's hands as they said their vows and everyone was sniffling.

But this time, when she opened her eyes, her mother was gone and it was Constance who stood beside her, holding her hand. Meredeth looked down at their clasped hands and gasped. 'Momo! What are you doing here?'

'Same thing your mother's been doing, but she and I both know you want me here.'

'Of course I want you here, but...she's my mother too, she can be here for this?'

'I'm afraid not.' Constance clucked her tongue in sympathy. 'I let her talk to you alone first, now she is going to grant me the same request.'

'Why are you telling me that, I don't own her.'

'Sweetie, didn't you listen to your mother? We're inside _your_ head right now, you could make it rain Skittles if you wanted.'

'Now that sounds like fun.'

Constance turned around so she was facing the road and shook her head in resignation. 'Really Meredeth?'

'What? I liked them when I was a kid. Come on.'

They walked across the street to the street-cart vendor who had suddenly appeared and was selling boxes and boxes of Everlasting Gobstoppers. Meredeth magically found exact change in her pockets for three boxes, all super-sours. 'Want one?'

'I'd rather eat dirt,' Constance replied dryly. 'Meredeth. Why do you want to see me more than your mother?'

'Because you were there during the hard stuff, and the Javi stuff.'

'Don't you think she'd like to meet him too, know him a little through you? I'd love to know about your other babies.'

Meredeth sighed, and looked skyward, almost in annoyance when the song changed for the umpteenth time, now it was Harry Belafonte's Jamaica Farewell and she grinned. 'This was the song-'

'You and Javi played the first time you went on vacation together, when you went to Los Angeles to visit Chin. You were pretending that you were in the islands because it was so damn hot outside.'

'Right I get it, you and I are attached at the brainstem right now.'

Meredeth sat down on the topmost step, pulled out a white handkerchief from her pocket and up ended all three boxes of Gob-Stoppers. 'This is how it feels right now,' she said, pointing to the jumbled mess of lollies. 'I can't get a grip on anything, I just...I love you and Mom, so much, but I feel like I need to go somewhere peaceful and quiet.'

'Then go there. What are you waiting for? In case you didn't notice, you don't need a subway pass for getting around this place.'

Meredeth nodded, then closed her eyes and concentrated hard; when she opened them, she was by a little cabin on a lake in the Adirondacks. She could hear Billy Joel turn into Raul de los Palmas and the lyrics rang crystal clear into her mind.

_It ain't nothing I'm just doin' what I do best, you feelin' me now, imagine what I do next_.

God what a night that been, the most hilarious spat she and Esposito had ever had, followed up with very passionate make-up sex. Laughing about it, she picked up a stone, intending to skip it over the glass-smooth surface of the lake.

'That one won't work, it's got too much point on the bottom.'

Meredeth turned around and felt her mouth drop open as she saw the very last person she expected to see on this psychedelic trip - her grandfather Maximilian.

'What are _you_ doing here, Morfa?'


	12. Meredeth Dreaming II

Max Coleman, born Maximilian Anders Kohlmaan in Copenhagen, walked down the narrow stony steps to the rocky beach where his granddaughter stood with the stone in her hand. He was a tall man, with piercing blue eyes - the same as Meredeth's - and a mane of silvery-blonde hair that fell to his shoulders; dressed in khaki shorts and a polo shirt, he looked every inch a man of leisure.

'You and I have things to discuss, madam,' he told her, walking onto the small dock that overhung the water and sitting down where he took off his shoes, dipped his feet in the calm water. 'For starters, why haven't I heard anything about this young man you married or the babies you made together?'

'I...his name is Javier, I call him Javi. He's a cop.'

'Remember what your grandmother said?'

'Right, you know what I know. But then why...' Meredeth walked over to the dock, hoisted herself up on it only to take a seat beside him. 'Nevermind, that question will just make my head hurt too much.'

'I know, honey,' Max chuckled as he moved his legs back and forth. 'Your grandmother, my Connie, she always made my head hurt like that. It was just better for everyone if I said 'yes dear' and moved things along.'

'You...I didn't expect to see you here.'

'Neither did I but then, I also didn't expect to see Connie again so soon either.' He looked up at the sky, squinting. 'What the devil is that noise?'

Meredeth listened, ears straining, then chuckled. Her husband had picked out a particular song and had it on repeat for her, apparently. 'That would be Raul de los Palmas' song _Sex is the Word_.'

'Sounds like it belongs in a porno.'

'How would you know what that sounds like?' she giggled, and Max sent her a dry look.

'I was a young man in my mid forties when that whole porn-at-the-arthouse craze was on, I remember things.'

'Okay then. Soundtracks to dirty movies aside, why did you come to me?'

Max reached to his side, produced a bucket of rocks. He picked one up, chucked it high and wide at the water. 'I came to you because I thought Constance was going to throw up if you ate anymore Gobstoppers.'

'Morfa-'

'Actually that's only part of the reason. I came to you because Constance taught you many things, but I taught you to be a fighter.'

'I thought that was Mom?'

'I'm not talking about just throwing a punch. Though your mother had thrown her fair share,' Max recalled. 'No, I mean the fight for your mind. You and my grandson have done splendidly so far but there are a couple of moments coming ahead where you will need that agile and limber mind of yours, Meredeth. It is your best asset, right along with that huge and compassionate heart, although you've got a few others your husband loves.'

Meredeth laughed, then winced when the colours began to turn to black and white and neon. 'Morfa, am I going to make it?'

'Of course, you've got to give your tots their baby brother.'

'Brother?'

'Look again.'

Meredeth looked down at her body and she could suddenly see into her own very large and pregnant belly like it was a fish bowl, a beautiful baby boy with her eyes and Javi's cheeks, just like Tessi had. 'Oh wow. I'm growing a penis inside me again. That feels very sci-fi. And very weird I can say 'again' in that sentence.'

There was another sharp wince, and this time the colours - and Max - faded away and Meredeth was spinning, around and around until she was surrounded by darkness. Then she was eleven years old again, or at least it felt like it, when she saw Colby, the bane of her grieving existence, sitting on a Prince-of-Darkness style throne with an oversized version of Baby, his precious Costa-Rican zebra tarantula wrapping its front legs around Colby's shoulders.

'All this time and you're still scared of spiders,' he sneered at her.

'The hell I am.'

Meredeth looked down at her hands, saw she had an aerosol spray can of bug repellent and a barbecue torch in the other. She held them up. 'You will not win this time, mother-fucker,' she growled, and using them together, MacGyvered herself a flamethrower which sent both Baby and Colby squealing into the abyss.

Triumphant, she tossed them down, then heard another voice.

'Fat, fat, fat. How the hell did a tub like you ever get a man like him?'

This time the tormentor was Callie Kincaid, head cheerleader and general pain-in-the-ass from Meredeth's high-school. She'd made her life miserable by telling anyone who would listen that Meredeth was crazy, and she had the shrink and psych meds to prove it. No one had really listened to her, but there were a few and they'd latched on like gossip-hungry leeches, told her she'd have a better time getting a prom date at the zoo in the manatee tank than polling the football team.

'Callie,' Meredeth told her in a sickly sweet voice. 'Remember how you couldn't figure it out who told Principal Nielsen that you'd cheated on your literature and history finals and you were convinced it was me but all your friends said it wasn't? It really was me.'

'Oh!' Callie let out a haughty gasp.

'Yeah, and the pictures of the girl Patrick Hughes kept in his dirty-magazines? The ones that showed nothing but a bikini-wearing body from the neck down? That was me too. How does it feel knowing your boyfriend was spanking off to pictures of me every night?'

Meredeth watched with vicious delight as Callie burst into embarrassed tears even as she doubled over, clutched at her belly. It felt flat, or nearly flat, to her, yet looking down, she could still her son inside her. Massaging her right side, she felt marginally better but only for a few seconds as the pain came back and she was faced with yet another demon from her past, this one in the form of Astrid Henkel, one of the writers for Critical Condition who'd started shortly before her and had decided that Meredeth was just too uppity for her own good so she made it her mission to rub in all the juicy assignments she got to cover.

'Oh you think you matter because you got a few tweets from Milo Ventimiglia? I've met him and I got a tour of the _Heroes_ set,' Astrid sneered viciously. 'You're nothing and no-one to him, and you will never ever matter to those stars like I do.'

Meredeth whipped out her hand and slapped her across the face. 'I'm a star in my own right, I have my own fans and I used my brain and my hard work to get me there, not riding on the coat-tails of famous people because I run a fan-site. You talk to me like that again and I will punish you with more than a slap in the face.'

There was an angry red mark on Astrid's face but her eyes burned bright while she laughed. 'You bitch, like you can touch me. I'll just tell everyone you're crazy and not to bother with you. And since I'm prettier, and more popular with the stars than you are, I'll be sure to tell them you are a psycho in need of their validation just to get out of bed.'

'The hell you will.' Meredeth slapped her again, and when Astrid got in her own physical slap this time, Meredeth responded with a punch into her smug, smirking face. 'Now no-one will touch you.'

She could hear the jumble of their voices, telling her how she was a child, she was gross, she was insignificant, until finally she oculdn't take any more. Breathing deeply, she felt a katana sword in her hand, heard the whistle of incoming projectiles in her direction. She spun, lashing out with her sword.

'All of you, shut up!' she roared, and heard the soft _splat splat splats_ along with something in a shell. Stepping over, Meredeth saw it was fruit; she'd killed a watermelon, three bananas, two kiwi and bisected a coconut in a single furious swipe. The sword slipped from her hand to the ground with a clatter and she followed it, sinking to her knees.

'I win,' she whispered, then said it again and again, each time a little louder until she was all but screaming it. 'I win!'

'I'd say you do.'

Meredeth looked up, saw her grandfather there once more, only he'd changed into stately all-black and for a moment he reminded her of Liam Neeson. 'What is all that about?'

'Your body leading a revolt against you? Or the part where it was your worst enemies in your history cropping up as your body fights the pain of saving your son from a miscarriage?'

'But if I was seeing all my worst enemies, wouldn't...'

She trailed off, heard the click of high heels that could only belong to one person. Moving slowly, deliberately, Meredeth turned around and faced Valencia Morales. She was still beautiful and still bat-shit kooky-bananas insane as she picked up her own katana and sneered.

'I've wanted this for a long time, Meredeth. You're going to give me that baby.'

'Fuck you, Val.'

On a bloodcurdling scream, Valencia lifted her sword and charged at Meredeth; behind her she could hear Max giving her little tips and hints, but blocking all of Valencia's attacks came as naturally as breathing to her. With very little effort at all, she had the woman on the ropes.

'Why are you here?' she asked smoothly.

'To remind you of something. All that you have, you don't deserve and you know it. I'm the kind of woman Javier Esposito prefers.'

'The kind that tells him he has a small dick and thinks he'll be fine with it when you sleep with someone? He's a _big_ boy, and fills me up just right. I have an orgasm every time we're together.'

'But he's thinking of someone else. If not me, then Lanie I bet. She's much better suited to him than you.'

Meredeth only growled, a gladiator on the charge, and gave Valencia a spinning slice that turned her to mist. 'No one is better for my man than me. We're having a son, so you can kiss my pretty white Danish ass. Or better yet, I'll get Javi to do that.'

Then she was falling, falling down once more until she landed with a thud in the middle of a cartoonishly-bright meadow. Or maybe a forest, Meredeth mused, then saw the little mushroom huts, three of them - one with a red roof-top, the other two with green. The doors opened simultaeneously and all three of Meredeth's children popped their heads around the corner.

'Hi Mami!' they chorused, and Meredeth had to blink: her children had turned into Smurfs, blue skin and white hats and all.

'You...wh...huh?'

'Come and sing a happy song!' Trini and Leo trilled, bounding over and taking her hands. 'La-la-lala-la-la!'

'No, I have to...I have to...'

She could feel herself slipping away as the twins dragged her towards the mushroom-huts and tried to fight it, but she was floating, drifting away on a cloud as she heard the single most important song in her life floating on the breeze with her - her wedding song.

The next thing she knew, she was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling with its fluorescent lights and a dark shape. When her eyes finally focused, she saw it was her husband's worried face even as he smiled at her.

'Hey, there gorgeous,' he said softly, picking up her hand.

'They turned into Smurfs,' she croaked.

'What?'

'The kids, they turned into Smurfs.'

Esposito only looked at her with baffled love, then laid his forehead against her breast and wept.


	13. Everyone Waiting

Despite the fact he and the family were trading off sitting with Meredeth in shifts, time still felt like a turtle crawling by today. Fortunately for himself Esposito had developed many techniques over the years for waiting someone out. There was the 'wait-and-bait', which was a two-man game where he and whomever he was working with would discuss all the possibilities in a perp's future if he didn't co-operate. There was the Gary Cooper method, also known as the _High Noon_ approach, wherein one simply stared down their opponent like the Western hero facing the outlaw in a ten-paces duel.

But this was a different kind of waiting. This was the activity sleight of hand - the waiting party would occupy themselves with something so casual, it looked like they were bored when in reality they were hotly anticipating the next move. This was the method that had always worked well for him, especially when Meredeth had been having his babies. And they'd get to do that again, he thought with a small smile. They'd made number four, their own little Ringo Starr was on its way.

His babies were getting way too big on him, he thought as he shifted in his chair, adjusted the volume on the speakers. Meredeth loved Jack Johnson, almost as much as Shane, and at the last gathering for the summer in the Hamptons they'd sung a few duets together while he'd played guitar.

Esposito pondered it, realized that weekend Meredeth had begun feeling a little bit squiffy and that was probably when her hormones had started kicking in from the pregnancy they hadn't known they'd achieved already and had spent a good portion of Friday and Saturday night on the shore trying to succeed in reproducing one more time.

Shifting in the armchair Natasha had brought in for him, he looked at the laptop - he'd managed to hook into some kind of wifi nearby and was reading her the news.

'Let's see, sugar, corn and gold are all down on the international stock market, but oil is holding steady which means no gas hike for us. And, hmm, I know this will be of major interest to you,' he went on, 'they're already casting the sequel to the _Valhalla Rising_ movie. They're saying they're not going to ask Jane Ritter back seeing as she totally putzed up the first one. Oh, and the Red Sox won against the Tigers. Spinosa threw seven and a third innings, and he had eight strikeouts, two in the third alone.'

Esposito looked up, saw her through the plastic sheet. Her colour looked better in the light of day, though it was still a slightly-eerie blue courtesy of the protective barrier. He wanted to reach out and hold her hand, touch her face so badly. But he wouldn't risk her health for a moment of indulgence, and suddenly, he had new respect for Shane Weaver. It was no secret amongst their little tribe that Shane and Alexis practiced very safe non-baby-making baby-making, and Esposito had asked him previously how the hell he could find that restraint when he and Alexis were getting all hot and heavy and he just wanted to satisfy that inner animal. Shane had simply replied he would do nothing to jeopardize her career at medical school. Now he understood it far better; every instinct in his body was telling him to go to his wife and comfort her in her time of need but he would not put her health at risk.

He cleared his throat, refreshed the page to weather. 'Looks like the long-range forecast says we're going to be having hot but windy days the next week or so, which means our AC will be working over time. Maybe we can swing it with the docs that you can get a day pass and we'll all go to the pool, or maybe the park. If we need to get you a chariot to hang with us, we can make that work. Oh, cool, the Jim Carrey festival starts next Fridayat the West Village Monarch and they're showing _Man on the Moon_ on the twenty-ninth. Maybe we can make it a date-night.'

'I'm sure you guys will love that.'

Esposito glanced up, saw Daniel there in his sedate blue scrubs and what appeared to be SpongeBob Square-Pants on his head. 'What are you wearing?' he asked, tapping his head.

'A gift from my nephew, our own little private joke. I'm here to relieve Natasha and you are going to be kicked out shortly.'

'What? Why?'

Daniel glanced at the miniature pocket-watch pinned to his scrub-top; it had been a gift from Andrea on their one-year anniversary. 'It's almost eight o'clock now and Harvey needs to speak with you to give you the official update on her condition.'

'What about Bruce?'

'The official care has been signed over to just Harvey, since Meredeth is out of the danger zone of the surgery but we're still monitoring her closely for the baby's sake. Tiny developing humans are his responsibility.'

'Still doesn't explain why you say I'm being kicked out.'

As if by magic, Harvey appeared in the doorway, in his usual uniform of scrubs and white coat. He looked far more rested than the last time Esposito had seen him but still carrying the shadows of worry under his eyes. 'Javier, let's take a walk.'

They went down the hall to the lounge, where Harvey poured Esposito a coffee. 'Bet you're sick of this stuff now, huh?'

'Almost. Cops can't lose their taste for coffee, though, it's programmed into us when we get our badge and gun.'

'Or that,' Harvey chuckled. 'So you know we've been keeping Meredeth in the isolation chamber because of potential attacks to her immune system.'

'Yeah.'

'We got the results from her blood test this morning and her antibodies are much higher than we anticipated and climbing.'

'That's good right?' Esposito gave the doctor a look. 'That's a good thing to have elevated.'

'Absolutely. More, it means we'll bring her out of isolation tomorrow morning and more than likely, she'll be awake by lunchtime.'

The world tilted beneath Esposito's feet as he closed his eyes and breathed his first easy breath since he'd sprinted out of his home the night before. 'That is really, really great news, Harvey.'

'In the meantime...I know what it's been costing you to stay away. I remember the look on your face when we had to turn Tessi during her birth, you didn't want to get out of the bed with Meredeth, it felt too far away.'

'My wife needed me,' was all he said.

'Which is why I've pulled some strings and I'm currently arranging for a bed beside Meredeth's in her room so that you can stay the night in there. There is also the little matter of what we discussed before, with regards to your children, and I think it's an excellent idea.'

'Yeah?'

Harvey nodded as he sipped his coffee; damn stuff tasted like used motor oil filtered through sweatsocks but it had the kick of caffeine he'd need for the night shift. 'We'll need a little time tomorrow to discuss things privately, just you and Meredeth with me, but when that is done, I don't see any reason they can't be there.'

'Cool.'

'So, the orderlies should be done with that, and there should be extra scrubs in there for you.' Harvey's pager went off and he sighed. 'And I'm off to the ER. Get some rest, big guy. You'll need it.'

Esposito drained his cup, then walked back to Meredeth's room, where the chair had been moved to allow the singleton-sized hospital cot to be placed right up beside the gurney that held his bride. Neatly folded on the end were a pair of well-worn lime-green scrubs that he changed into; when he stretched out in bed beside Meredeth's bed, book in one hand, he smiled at her through the plastic.

'Sleep tight, baby,' he murmured, fingertips pressing lightly against the sheet. 'I love you and I'll see you in the morning.'

* * *

><p>'Sssh, you gonna wake him up.'<p>

'Daniel say wakey-wakey.'

'Daniel say.'

Esposito squinted open one eye, and swore he was hallucinating his children were talking mushrooms. 'What's going on?' he mumbled, then saw his children really were there, and no, it wasn't his imagination - they were all dressed in pint-sized sterile-clean caps and gowns, they even had little covering booties for their feet. Tessi was in the middle of her brother and sister, holding their hands, looking very serious.

'Daddy, Daniel says you have to wake up now,' she told him, 'but we said let us do it.'

'Why do I have to get up, what time is it?'

'Here, Daddy.' Leo passed him his watch. 'It say time.'

'Thanks my little lion.'

'Rawr! I'ma li-on!' He held his hands into claws, then hugged Trini. 'I gotcha, sisser.'

'Leggo!' Trini giggled. 'Daddy!'

'Shhh, you two.' Tessi, ever the little mother, shushed her siblings, then looked at her father. 'We are tuh-rying on our disguises.'

Esposito looked at his watch - eight-twenty-three, he'd only been out for a half-hour - then at his children and their get-ups. 'What are you wearing?'

'You like it?' Trini the fashionplate did a little twirl. 'It fool derms.'

'It fools germs,' Esposito repeated incredulously, wondering if he wasn't indeed on a drug-trip of some kind.

'Yeah, see, Daniel said we gotta wear-em because we have little germs on us and that if we wear this disguise, it will make sure the germs stay away from Mami and don't make her sick again,' Tessi explained patiently to her father.

'Our moon sys'ems not 'tong yet,' Leo added helpfully. 'Daddy, we 'tay wit' you?'

'Oh, I don't know if there is enough room.'

'That okay.'

Leo wasn't one to back away from a challenge, so he simply climbed over his father's legs and propped his head against his hip. 'Ove' here, sissers.'

The girls climbed up with their brother, making Esposito feel a little bit like a jungle-gym as Trini hopped aboard to use the crook of his knees for her pillow.

'Daddy,' she mumbled, 'you bony.'

'Thanks sweetie.' Then, his waterworks nearly started up once more when he saw Tessi walk to the foot of the bed and put her little hand against the plastic, much like Esposito had when he saw Meredeth the previous night.

'Buh-enas noches, Mami, we gonna see you tomorrow at lunch time. You think we can have fish and chips?'

* * *

><p>The following day, Esposito was never more thankful that the had two sisters in his life who were both nurses adept at dealing with children - Honey-Milk and Andrea were sitting in the hallway on benches with Tessi and the twins while he watched Harvey and his assistants begin doing their thing and taking away Meredeth's isolation chamber. He could have sworn when the sheets were gone that Meredeth actually breathed deeper in her sleep.<p>

Daniel stepped over, shut off the safety-valve of the anesthetic. 'It's not like in the movies, bro, when the drugs are shut off and all of a sudden we're able to do a Broadway chorus line number.'

'I understand.'

'It'll take about fifteen minutes or so, and you'll see a little spike in her heartrate, because she'll be experiencing the little withdrawal of painkiller that is in this sedative cocktail mix.'

'How little is little?'

'She's at one-fifteen right now, so anywhere from one-twenty to one-twenty-nine is normal.'

They watched, saw the flicker of Meredeth's eyes, the murmur of her lips as she reacted to the withdrawal of the medication. When she groaned a little, Esposito was at her side, taking her hand in his.

'I'm here, Mere, I'm here my love,' he whispered to her. His heart leaped in his chest as he watched her eyelids shudder, then ease open and try to focus on him. 'Hey there, gorgeous.'

'They turned into Smurfs.'


	14. Children Visiting

_Hey everyone, are you freaked out about the lack of updates? No I wasn't abducted by aliens I was away from the Internet for the weekend and having a great time, so hope you like this little return present!_

* * *

><p>Meredeth blinked in shock, stroked her husband's smooth and shiny head. 'What's wrong, babe?' she murmured, trying to clear her throat. 'Water?'<p>

'Here.' Esposito passed her a cup, held the straw to her lips.

When she'd taken a drink, Meredeth rested against her pillows, looked at him with concern. 'Why are you so upset?' A thought occurred, a memory from her trip down the rabbit hole. 'Did I lose the baby in the surgery?'

'No, not at all, Mere, but...' Esposito sighed weightily, dragged a hand over his face. 'Mere, the cyst burst just as they got to it when you were on the table in surgery, and they had to take out one of your ovaries.'

'Does this mean that I can't have the baby safely?'

'No, Harvey said you'll need close monitoring, even more than with the twins, but you'll be okay to carry our baby to term.'

'Son,' Meredeth corrected him. 'I had a talk with my grandfather Max while under sedation. I'm growing a boy in here.'

'You think so?'

She nodded. 'I know it. We'll have two girls and two boys when he arrives.'

'Okay. Not that I don't believe you, Mere, but can we still call it the baby until we find out around the five month mark for sure?'

'Of course.' It was an agreement they'd made when they'd had Tessi that unless there was a special concerns with the pregnancy, or they were expecting multiples, they would wait to see if they had a son or daughter. Meredeth having surgery like this would definitely into the category of special concerns.

'Javi,' she told him, 'I really want to see the kids. I bet they weren't having a good time with Mami away for the night.'

'Mere...'

'What?'

'You...the rupture during the surgery meant that you were at a higher risk of infection so Harvey and Bruce kept you under sedation in an isolation chamber for thirty-five hours. It's lunchtime on Thursday.'

Meredeth let out a gusty breath. 'No wonder I was having such extended trippy dreams. Anyways, I'd really like to see them.'

'You got it. Just hang on a moment.'

Esposito kissed her cheek, then went into the hallway; in his absence Meredeth sighed and stared at the ceiling. Recovering from surgery would be a process, she knew, as just this conversation with her husband felt like a major calorie-burn. But he never faltered, never wavered in his support, even when his emotions got the better of him. He was her rock and her superhero, and she would not let him or their children down by being a whiner or a suck.

Turning onto her side as gently as she could, she cracked up in overtired giggles as she saw her husband come in with their three children, all dressed in pint-sized protective gowns and caps so they wouldn't be at risk of infecting her. Trini even had a little scrub mask on over her face.

'Hey, guys,' she said sleepily, trying to sound as upbeat as possible. Meredeth saw a little apprehension in the twins' eyes, but Leo took his sister's hand and followed Tessi over to the side of Meredeth's bed She pulled each one of them close for a hug from the side of her bed. 'I missed you.'

'See, toldja.' Esposito grinned at Leo, who had looked back at Esposito with cautious hope. 'Mamis always miss their babies.'

'Mami, tha' no' fun-ny!' Trini made a grumpy face at her mother. 'We 'cared.'

'I know, Trini, and I was scared too because everything happened so quickly, Daddy and I had no time to say anything to you, or explain what was going on.'

'That okay.' Leo patted Meredeth's hand. 'Tessi tell us.'

'I told them you were in the hosuh-pital having an op-er-ation, Mami,' Tessi confirmed in an airy tone, the one she always used when she was trying to sound grown up. 'I told them we can't get suh-cared be..be-cause you need us to be buh-rave for you.'

'Tummy hurtin' 'till?' Leo asked.

'It is very tender, but I'm getting better.'

'Ea' soup. It help.'

Meredeth had to laugh. 'Yes sir, Doctor Leo.'

'Mami, I siddup wit' you?'

'Sure, Trini. Here.' With an effort, Meredeth scooted her body back so its crook made a little spot for the almost two-year-old girl. When Esposito picked her up, set her down, Trini was very stiff and still.

'I no bump tummy, Mami.'

'Thanks, honey.'

The word 'bump' had something sparking in Esposito's brain, and he dragged over a chair for him and Tessi to share, her on his knee. If ever there was both a best and worst place to make this announcement, this was it. 'This whole time hasn't been all bad, though, you guys. You want to hear the best part?'

'Yes, Daddy,' they chorused, and when he saw Meredeth's eyes sparkle, he finally felt the excited rush in his belly.

'You guys are going to have a little brother or sister,' she told them, and Tessi and Leo's eyes went huge.

'Really?' Tessi squealed and clapped her hands excitedly. 'We are gonna have a family of...' She counted the member on her fingers. 'We are goinna have a family of six?'

'We are indeed,' Esposito replied.

'I gonna get li'l bo?' Leo said with some excitement, for which Meredeth couldn't blame him - it couldn't have been easy growing up with an older and younger sister like he had.

'We don't know yet, Leo.'

'Wanna bo. E-nough gi'ls.'

Meredeth giggled, then looked at her youngest daughter. 'Katrina, you are awfully deep in thought,' she said, noticing how Trini hadn't taken her eyes off of Meredeth's stomach. 'What's going on, little girl?'

'Need 'pation fo' baby? It get in 'pation?'

'No, silly,' Tessi piped up. 'The mami and daddy hug and moosh each other so much it makes a baby inside Mami's tummy.'

'Tessiana, where did you learn that?' Esposito asked, fearful he already knew the answer.

'Dell told me, Daddy.' He'd also scandalized young Tessi by telling her that the mami and daddy had to hug and kiss with no clothes on in bed, but she decided that the twins were too young to hear that part. Better that some things were for big sisters only. 'He also say the baby gets all its noo-chee-somethings fuh-rom what the mami eats.'

'Nutrients?

'Uh-huh. Careful, Tah-rini,' Tessi cautioned her wiggling sister. 'We have to puh-lay nice with Mami, remember?'

'No go bump.'

'That's right, no going bump,' Esposito agreed. 'So what do you think, Trini, you on board for a little brother or sister?'

'No hurdin' Mami. You.' Trini pointed her finger at Meredeth's belly, spoke to it. 'Yea you, no hurdin, 'kay?'

There was a knock on the door, and all five Espositos looked over to see Harvey there, in one of his dress-shirts and ties beneath his white coat. In his hand he had a chart which they assumed correctly was Meredeth's information.

'Hello Esposito family, how are you doing today?'

'Hunguh-ry,' Tessi replied. 'May Mami have fish and chips puh-lease for lunch today, Do-tor? She is being very good.'

'Well, since your mami just had surgery, she needs to have something that's a little easier to digest.'

'What die-shes' mean?' Leo asked, blinking his brown eyes in curiosity at Harvey and his father.

'Digest means how the stomach breaks down food so we get the good stuff from it,' Harvey replied, clicking his pen open. 'But some are easier to do that with than others. Soup is good because it's already nice and soft.'

'We have soup at home!' Tessi declared. 'We will make sure she eats it like a good girl, Do-tor.'

'Thanks, princess,' Meredeth chuckled, then yawned; when she was done, she rolled her eyes a little at Harvey. 'I know, I know, don't over do it too soon.'

'Kids, time to give Mami a kiss. The doctor needs to talk to us and then Mami needs a nap.'

Meredeth gave all her children big hugs and kisses, and when they left the room, she yawned, then sniffled a little. Her precious babes, she thought, so strong and brave without even knowing it. 'So, am I getting a full work-up here?'

'Yes, Meredeth.'

Harvey checked her blood pressure, her incision site and made neutral noises over it like any doctor would. He didn't object at all when Esposito gripped her hand tightly as the doctor gave Meredeth a quick pelvic exam and then nodded, snapped off his gloves.

'You're coming along Meredeth, there's no visual or internal signs that there's a lingering infection or potential infection.'

'Does that mean I can have visitors now?'

'Yes, but I still want them in protective clothing for the next day or so. Now, let's talk pregnancy. Meredeth, you are going to be watched like we are your shadows,' Harvey told her. 'We will be having regular check-ups every two weeks and blood tests to go with them to make sure you are not in any danger while your body tries to adjust to the one ovary being gone.'

'I know this might sound ridiculous but was there any hope of saving it?' Meredeth asked.

'Had it not ruptured, fifty-fifty at best. It's because of the way the cyst formed,' Harvey replied, 'and ninety-eight percent of the kind that you had end in a rupture that results in a oophorectomy. Now, because you are pregnant, your hormones are going to be going crazy on you because there are so many adjustments to make. I am going to prescribe a hormone pill to you to help even this out, you simply take it with your prenatal vitamin.'

'What about my diet, my weight-gain, my...my sex life,' Meredeth said bluntly; obviously being the fourth time pregnant her OBGYN knew she and her husband had sex. 'How is this and the pregnancy together going to affect those things?'

'There will be a period of adjustment over the next four to five weeks, but by then you will only be about three and a half months, Meredeth. You and your husband can resume your usual sex activities once you're given the all clear from me, and the intercourse itself will probably help you keep your hormones on an even keel, as sex does great things for the brain.

Harvey looked at Meredeth's chart, then up at them. 'I'll make sure you have an appointment with Nicole Phillips-Zuberi, as one of the most common concerns for patients like you Meredeth is getting enough calcium, baby or not.'

'So while I'm recuperating, what can I do, what can I eat?'

'Right now, lots of soups, because we can add protein boosters to them, and also fruit smoothies for easy calcium.'

'Smoothies?' Esposito perked up immensely at this. 'Smoothies are fun.'

'Don't get him started doc, he'll turn the kitchen into a jiuce bar,' Meredeth laughed, then yawned. 'Sorry.'

'No, we're cutting into your naptime. We'll go.'

'Okay.'

Esposito gave Meredeth a kiss as Harvey left. 'Trini wants to cuddle with you,' he murmured to his wife. 'That okay with you?'

'For a little while.'

He left, then came back in with their youngest girl, who climbed up carefully and snuggled against Meredeth's body.

'Mami?' Trini asked, tugged the hospital gown gently.

'Yes, Trini.'

'I 'cared fo' baby.'

'Why are you scared for the baby?'

'No mo' 'pations.'

'Oh, honey, honey.' Meredeth wrapped her arms around Trini. 'That part's done now, my angel.'

'Pomis?'

'I promise.'


	15. Parents Supporting

As the day pressed on, as visitors came and went, there was one who insisted on being with Meredeth at all times: Trini was glued to her mother's side, which surprised both her parents - they'd thought Leo would have been far more stressed about his mother not being around. Leo wasn't a mama's boy at all, but he was very freaked out by the notion of blood; instead, it was Trini who was sticking close throughout the afternoon.

'Sweetie,' Meredeth asked her, when Trini just stayed snuggled beside her, 'why do you want to cuddle so much with me?'

'You say 'be home soon'. You no' home soon.'

'Aw, Trini.' Esposito, who had been sitting with Meredeth and working on a crossword app on his iPod, reached over, and held his daughter's hand tightly. 'This was an emergency, it won't happen all the time.'

'What 'me-jin-see?'

'That means when something happens unexpectedly like Mami going into the hospital.'

'Hmm.' Trini's brow puckered up in concentration. 'Bu'...bu' Mami bedda now. Me-jin-see done?'

'Yeah, the emergency is done.' Meredeth gave her a kiss on the cheek, then winced a little as she shifted. 'Trini, can you go sit with Daddy for a few minutes?'

'Mere, you okay?' he asked her, noticing the uncomfortable face she was making. 'Is it morning sickness?'

'No, it's gas. But I'm scared to fart, I don't want to rip open my stitches.'

'I'd think holding it in would be worse. Try it, gently,' Esposito suggested, knowing that while his biggest bodily-function hang-up was watching people brush their teeth, his wife's was when she had to fart. He recalled the first time they'd been in bed together after a date and she'd passed gas, she'd actually been on the verge of tears from embarrassment. Esposito had responded by finding a video on Youtube of an interview with Daphne Edmunds, a top supermodel, who'd actually passed gas on national television and followed it up with a joke about the enchiladas she'd had for lunch that day not agreeing with her. It had made her grin and the humiliation she'd felt about farting in front of her sexy new boyfriend evaporated.

Now, of course, having been pregnant twice - once with multiples - those days were long gone. He watched her screw up her face in concentration and the little _pfft _noise from her bottom, accompanied with the completely blissed out look on her face made him laugh. 'Bet that feels better, huh?'

'Much.'

'Ooooo, Mami 'tink!' Trini waved her hand comically in front of her nose. 'You tinky-pants!'

'You weren't a basket of strawberries yourself in your first few months outside my belly.'

The little girl patted her mother's stomach softly. 'Baby mun-shee?'

'Actually, now that you mention it, I am feeling kinda nibbly. Javi, can-'

'You got it. Trini, come on sweetie, let's go get some snacks for Mami.'

'An' baby, Daddy. No fo-giddin' baby.'

Esposito grinned, and as he walked out of the ICU room, he nearly ran smack into his captain. 'Sir, what are you doing here?' slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself, and Trini added for good measure, 'Hi Cap'in, Mami nee' soup.'

'Hello back, Miss Trini, and that's a good idea for you to get your mother some soup. I'm sure she'll like that very much,' Montgomery replied in his patient and fatherly tone; it was one he'd used every now and then on his detectives, so Esposito recognized it well. 'And I'm here because I need to talk to your daddy about some things at work.'

'Af-er soup. Mami nee' us.'

Before Esposito could step in to tell his rock-headed toddler that they might have to wait on the soup front, he saw Andrea and Honey-Milk getting off the elevator with Dell, Tessi and Leo, who all were carrying a back-pack or bag of some kind.

'Hi Daddy! Look! We were duh-rawin' pictures for Mami in the after-school rooms today!' Tessi held up her artwork proudly for her father's inspection.

'Tessi is a very good artist, Javi,' Dell added, very proud of his girl and that he got to show her off to his friends there. 'She should work for Disney when she is big enough.'

'No, I'm gonna be a police officer like Daddy, Dell,' she corrected him, and Dell gave her a little nod just like Ryan did to Honey-Milk when she got a wild hare-brained idea.

'You can be a police artist, then, that's a thing, right Javier? Right, Captain?'

'It sure is, it's a very important part of the police force. Listen Dell, can you do me a favour?' Esposito asked him.

'Of course.'

'Can you take Tessi and Trini and Leo with you to the lounge where we were a few nights ago with your mama and Andrea? I have to talk to the captain in private.'

'You got it. Come on, guys.' With one hand in Tessi's and the other held out for Trini, Dell led them all down the hallway, chattering like a herd of monkeys.

'What a little group they are already,' Montgomery commented. 'Are you heading to the cafeteria for something for Meredeth?'

'Sort of.' He pulled out his cellphone, dialed his mother's number. 'Hey, Mami, Meredeth's got the munchies.'

'Right away. How are the kids?'

'Hanging tough, but it's really weighing on Trini.'

'Understood. See you soon.'

Esposito hung up, then gave Montgomery a sheepish look. 'When my mother's stressed, she handles it by cooking. She's been baking and cooking almost around the clock.'

'Liz can't stop cleaning. I think it's a girl thing.'

'So, what's on your mind, sir?'

They headed for the elevators so Esposito could wait downstairs for Rosalita, Montgomery keeping his hands in his pockets. 'Detective, I want you to know that you have no need to worry about your job. I've put you on three weeks sabbatical and when you come back, you'll be on another three weeks of desk-work only.'

'Sir-'

'Javier.' The captain's tone was gentle as a kitten, which only drove his point home further. 'Your family needs you and I don't want you worrying about your job security. It's my decision and you're an exceptional cop, but you're an even better father and husband, and I'll be damned to hell and back if I let you jeopardize that.'

'Thank you,' was all Esposito could think of to say, flustered by his boss' generosity. 'It...I still can't wrap my head around it. All I can think about is the baby part and how it's going to affect her pregnancy.'

'I wasn't there for that part. You two are having another one?'

'Yes sir.'

'So that's how you stay in shape with her cooking,' he commented dryly and Esposito blushed red as a tomato.

'That's just a little strange to hear from your commanding officer.'

'You've got three kids and I remember how happy and...relaxed you became once you started seeing Meredeth. She's good for you, in every possible sense of the term.'

They were outside by now, and the noise of the city hit them like a freight train after the quiet murmurs of the ICU; car horns blared, music poured out of open windows, construction sites were hopping with activity. 'So I don't want you to worry about anything. Your case load will be taken care of, and your desk will be waiting for you in a few weeks.'

'I can always be a consultant, look over paperwork with Ryan and Beckett.'

'Esposito, your wife is recovering from surgery while pregnant and you've got three children under the age of five, you'll be lucky to remember your own name after two days.'

A bright yellow taxi in need of a new muffler belched its way to the curb by the visitors entrance and Esposito only shook his head as his mother appeared out of the passenger side door with three massive cloth grocery bags in her hands. 'Sir, brace yourself.'

'Javier Jimeno!' Rosalita walked up, thrust her bags at Montgomery. 'Hold these please,' she instructed him, then threw her arms around her son once Montgomery had taken the burden off her hands. 'Meredeth's awake, and talking and she's okay? The baby too?'

'Yeah, the kids have been in for a visit and the baby is holding strong. She thinks it's going to be a boy, she had a chat with her grandfather while still under sedation and he told her the baby is a son.'

'Never underestimate the brain's power like that. I'll take those back now.' She turned to Montgomery. 'Sorry about that Captain, but you're a father, you understand.'

'Of course. Mmm, something smells good.'

'It's for Meredeth, you'll have to ask her.'

Such was the woman's tone as they returned to the hospital's elevator bank that Montgomery nodded solemnly. 'Yes ma'am.'

Esposito waited until he and his mother were alone in the lift before he turned to her. 'You are the only person in the world I know who can talk to Roy Montgomery like that and live to tell the tale unharmed.'

'He's a strong man and I'm betting he's used to strong women holding their ground with him. Just like you,_ mijo_. How is Meredeth doing?'

'Really, really well.'

'And my grandbabies?'

'Tessi is such a little trooper and Leo is Leo,' Esposito chuckled, then scratched the back of his neck. 'It's Trini who is taking it the hardest.'

'Understandable. She's like you that way, a worrier over the people she loves most.'

'I always thought it would be Tessi, she's the quiet one.'

Rosalita's eyes twinkled. 'Then you'd best prepare yourself for her teenage years, she'll go banana-pie.'

'Sandwich, Mami. The phrase is banana-sandwich.'

'I'm a baker, I say banana pie.'

As Esposito knew arguing with his mother would only result in a headache he kept his mouth shut until they got to the ICU floor, walked into Meredeth's room where he saw Honey-Milk with Dell, Tessi and the twins all perched around the bed like pint-sized gargoyles. Trini of course was tucked right in beside her mother's heart, her little hand resting on Meredeth's belly.

'And Tessi knew all the kinds of dinosaurs in the book!' Dell exclaimed with pride. 'She still loves her stegos though.'

'They are funny looking, but very fuh-riendly.'

'That Tessi, baby,' Trini said to Meredeth's belly. 'She big sisser. I big sisser, but she bigger.'

'Me too!' Leo, never one to be left out of the goings-on, gave his twin's foot a pat. 'No fo-giddin' me!'

'That Leo, he a boy. He loud.'

'Is there room for more in here?' Rosalita asked and she saw the delight on her babies' faces. 'I brought snacks with me,' she added to Meredeth, who was still very tired looking but she was getting her normal ruddy colour back in her cheeks now. 'You want some soup?'

'Oh, yes very much,' Meredeth sighed happily, sniffing at the container her mother-in-law produced from the bag. She knew exactly what it was before she even lifted the lid on the take-along bowl. 'Broccoli-cheese,' she murmured. 'Are you sure this isn't too heavy?'

'Your husband talked with the doctor, and then to me. Harvey, your doctor, is that his name?'

'Yes.'

'He said vegetable soups and light cream based ones are good, so I made the diet version. Here.' Rosalita rolled up the table-on-wheels, put the bowl along with a spoon and _pan de agua_ on a little cloth napkin in front of her. 'Eat up.'

Meredeth lifted the spoon to her lips and wanted to cry at the taste of it. 'Diet version still rocks, Rosa.'


	16. Girls Talking

'Okay, _barns_ time to say night-night to Mami.'

'Nigh-nigh, Mami, we see fo' bik-fist.'

'We are gonna buh-ring you a tuh-reat.'

'Yummy yummy!'

Meredeth could only laugh as she sat with her feet over the side of her hospital bed while the kids said their goodbyes of the night. It was just past six and her husband had told her that she was getting a surprise that night, but only once the children were looked after for the evening. Thus, despite the fact she felt a little sad they had to go home without her, she was curious to see what her extraordinary Superman of a husband had done for her now.

The man just loves to spoil you rotten, girl, a voice in her head told her. She didn't have long to dwell on it, though, as her babies were jockeying for space to give her a hug and kiss. Leo, her dapper little gent, insisted the girls go first.

'Tha' manners, Mami,' he said with such calm definition it was hard to argue with the almost-two year old.

'You're right, that is good manners,' Meredeth agreed with him, giving Tessi and Trini both smacking kisses.

Trini, being who she was, gave her mother's tummy a little rub. 'Bye baby, see soon, o-kay?' She paused, waited a moment, then patted Meredeth belly again. 'Mami, why no' kickin?'

'Because it's not big enough yet, baby girl,' Esposito told her. 'We'll be able to feel it near Hallowe'en.'

'Oh.' Trini studied the belly a third time, then gave it a little kiss. 'You 'tay inner.'

'Don't worry,' Meredeth giggled, 'the baby will stay in there.'

'Bye, Mami, we'll buh-ring you a surpuh-rise in the morning.' Tessi smiled winningly, then held out her hand to her little sister. 'C..c-come on, Tah-rini. Mami needs to be alone to get her surpuh-rise tonight.'

'Tessi, I 'cared fo' baby,' Trini confessed and Tessi made both her parents choke up a little when she pulled Trini in for a hug, petting her hair softly.

'You don't have to be suh-cared, Tah-rini. The do-tors are very good and will make sure our new little buh-rother or sisuh-ter is safe and sound.'

'O-kay.'

'Feed the birdies?'

This time Esposito and Meredeth had to swallow belly-busting laughs as the little girls tapped their fingertips together, and even Leo got in on the action.

'Only our children,' she sighed, then gave her husband a juicy kiss goodbye. 'Too bad we can't do more yet than that to celebrate number four.'

'Don't worry, with your hormones, I'm sure we will be celebrating plenty.'

'Are you coming back tonight?'

Esposito shook his head. 'Kids and I have a surprise to get set up for you in the morning, right?'

'Right!' the three little voices chorused in response.

'So we better get going, we have lots to do, don't we?'

'Right!'

Meredeth laughed as they left, chattering like parrots and she took the newfound tranquility to put her feet back up on her bed, let her mind unwind for a few minutes. There was so much to take in, but now that the scary part of the surgery was behind her, she could focus on the future, and that meant another baby with her husband, a new little one for her other babies to love and support and protect the way they did with each other.

For the first time, she laid her hand on her lower belly, felt the stiff little threads of her stitches there - she'd gotten brave and counted; she had seven of them - and thought of what lay beneath her. 'Hey you in there,' she murmured. 'I hope you know this isn't how these things usually go. But we're going to get back to normal, kiddo, and we are going to have so much fun with your big brother and sisters, and Daddy, although you'll soon find out that those fun times with Daddy are occasionally for Mami only.'

'Are we interrupting?'

Meredeth opened her eyes, saw Lanie, Beckett, Lili, Honey-Milk and Andrea in the doorway, looking on nervously. 'Not at all, come on in.'

The women filed in to the room, finding chairs or space on the foot of Meredeth's bed. The patient herself noticed that they all had some kind of hand-tote with them and she squinted at them.

'What is going on, here?'

'We haven't gotten to celebrate you having a baby good and proper yet,' Lanie replied, 'so consider this a preview, sweet-cheeks.'

Meredeth could only watch as the ME, a practical and level-headed woman, pulled out a martini shaker, glasses and a couple bottles of fruit juice from her tote; the others were shortly following suit. Lili pulled out a deck of cards while Honey-Milk found the big bag of peanut M&M's and pudding cups of various flavours in hers. Andrea pulled out a magazine of some kind and Beckett had a camera in hers to record the whole thing.

'The game is Texas Hold'em ladies. Everyone dip in for the ante,' Lili said, jerking her head towards the ginormous bag of M&Ms.

'Mere, you want a little Ruby Slipper?' Lanie asked, holding up the martini shaker. She'd lined up her glasses on the edge of the table and was hovering, waiting for the word to pour.

'What's in it?'

Cranberry juice, ginger-ale and apple juice.'

'Hit me.'

Lanie poured all around with a flourish, hand Meredeth a glass. 'We couldn't exactly take you to Marty and Teeny's in your condition, so we brought it to you.'

'And you can't have chocolate cheesecake yet but nothing says get better soon for dessert like Snak-Pak!' Beckett added, smiling.

'You guys didn't have to do this,' Meredeth started but was cut off when Honey-Milk gave her the fish-eye.

'Meredeth, you deserve every bit of happiness and cheerfulness we can give you right now. A huge portion of a patient's recovery is contingent on their positivity or negativity towards their situation. And we want you back where you belong, with us at the Hamptons for summer vacation and in the city keeping us all drooling over your tasty creations.'

'Exactly,' Lili agreed. 'So eat up that pudding and get all that happy baby mojo working.'

'And if the chocolate doesn't work, there's always the fun, never fails, oversharing that should work just as well,' Andrea added with a wiggle of her eyebrows as she held up the magazine. Meredeth could see the title now - it was the summertime-sexy edition of _Bombshell_ - and she read one of the featured cover articles.

'Seventeen Places You Never Thought to Try Sex?'

'Yeah, since we're all mommies here, I thought we all might get to share the baby-making stories again, and we can figure out the night you and Javi made your fourth one.'

'Now that sounds like fun,' Lanie commented, sipping her drink. 'All three of my babies had very different conception stories.'

'Let's wait until we're a little higher on sugar before we go oversharing,' Beckett suggested. 'And besides, we also have some important wedding things to talk about too, don't forget.'

'What wedding things?' Meredeth asked, looking around.

'Shane and Alexis have picked out their venue for the wedding.'

All ears focused on Beckett as she sipped her own baby-friendly juice; in all the action of the last several days, it was easy to forget that Beckett herself was having a baby as well. 'So are they going full-on traditional?' Honey-Milk asked.

'Oh yeah, Alexis is even doing some crash-courses on the whole religion thing. Not converting, she just wants to know why things are done a certain way.'

'It's Alexis,' Lanie reminded her as she passed the others their glasses. 'When hasn't she attacked something full-force like an Amazon?'

Truer words had never been spoken, Meredeth thought as she felt the squirm in her intestines. Lifting one cheek off the bed, she let rip a monster fart, then sighed. 'Oh, man that feels so much better.'

'I'm sure it does, and it's a good sign.'

'How?'

'Means your intestines are maintaining their function and you're healing. Just trust me,' Lanie told her off her friend's baffled look. 'We'll be listening to Castle and Esposito complain about too much sex cutting into their sleep.'

'But...how will I even want to have sex when I physically can again?' Meredeth said aloud, thinking of the only thing her brain could focus on at the news her right ovary was no longer part of her reproductive system. 'Won't this kick me into menopause? I'm thirty-eight years old and I'll be an old lady.'

'Bullshit,' Lili said bluntly. 'Look at me. Am I an old lady?'

All eyes turned to Lili as she went on, 'We didn't tell anyone at the time but when Rosie was born, I had my left one taken out while I was under the anesthetic. And after that, Cam and I still had Duncan and make love on a regular basis.'

'Lili, I had no idea...why didn't you say something?'

'I was waiting for the right time, something like this. The way my brother looks at you, he'd pretty much have to be a eunuch to not want to fuck you, Mere, and vice-versa-'

'Lucita, he's your brother!' Andrea made a freaked-out face.

'And even then I'm sure he would make sure he got you off. And vice versa.'

'Well, now that we've gotten our daily gross-out over with,' Beckett chuckled, 'are you satisfied with that Mere?'

'I think so. I think I'm just so turned around I don't know what to think,' Meredeth replied.

Honey-Milk popped an M&M in her mouth, made a small noise. 'I have a question, I was thinking about this earlier.'

'Sure.'

'Why is it the kids call you Mami and Esposito Daddy when he's the Hispanic one?'

'Oh, that _is_ a good question,' Lanie agreed.

'I...honestly, I never thought about it. It was just what we did. But now, can you imagine Javi as Papa and me as Mama?'

They all shook their heads. 'You are definitely Mami,' Lili agreed with a laugh. 'Heard my mami was by this afternoon for a visit. With snacks.'

'Yep, she mos-def was,' Meredeth nodded. 'First thing I got to eat was her broccoli-cheese soup. The doctor said I should eat a lot of soups and smoothies the next few days so my system can absorb things better.'

'Always a good idea.' Andrea dipped her hand into the bag of M&Ms, munched a few. 'You want to keep your strength up for celebrating that pregnancy.'

'Okay, are you pregnant too,' Beckett asked dryly, 'because I remember when you were having Nessa all you could think was sex-sex-sex for awhile.'

'I want to hear more about Shane and Alexis' wedding,' Honey-Milk said with a wistful grin. 'Will we get to see all the guys wear yarmulkes?'

'Yep, which makes me wonder how Javi's will stay on his head.' Lili grinned savagely. 'He doesn't have a lot of hair up top, does he Mere?'

Meredeth blushed fiercely. 'I like his shaved head,' she muttered. 'God that sounds dirty.'

'Best kind of comment there is,' Lanie added with a giggle, patted Meredeth's hand. 'You wanna tell us what other parts of him are all smooth like that?'

'You know who is surprisingly fuzzy is Shane,' Beckett commented.

'How do you know that?'

'When he and Alexis spend the night at the loft, he occasionally skips a t-shirt when at the breakfast table. Why?' She looked around at her giggling girlfriends. 'What did you think I meant?'


	17. Family Munching

The following morning, Meredeth awoke and felt almost normal again. The urge to itch at her stitches was growing daily, which despite being more irritating than a sandpaper G-string was an excellent sign she was on the mend. She was also farting like a Howitzer, and her appetite was nearly back to normal.

A quick glance at the iPod clock on her bedside table - a gift from Rosalita and Alejandro to listen to music while she rested - told her it was just seven-thirty which made her groan. She'd hoped she'd slept longer than that, to get out the sleepiness while immobile in the hospital so she wouldn't waste at-home time with her husband and children lazing around.

And that was just horse-shit, Meredeth told herself sternly, what did she expect? Not only was she pregnant, which would come with its own highs and lows, but she was recovering from surgery. She would have to be patient with herself and remember that when her friends and family, especially Esposito and the children, did things for her they were simply trying to be nice and help her out. She would have enough to do inside her own body that would take up the majority of her energy.

'Hey, there's the sleeping beauty.'

Meredeth craned her neck, and Daniel came into view. He looked a little disheveled but happy she was awake. 'Hey yourself. You look about as great as I feel. Troubles?'

'Nessa's going through a phase.'

'Spoken like a true daddy.' She patted the space by her in the bed and Daniel sat down to commiserate with a fellow parent. 'What's she doing? Or not doing, come to think of it.'

'She's convinced there are sharks underneath her crib so she insists on falling asleep in our bed. Andrea and I are already thinking of trying for a sibling for Nessa so that kinda puts a crimp in our...practicing.'

'Ah, yes, being cock-blocked by a ten month old can't be fun. How does she even know what sharks are?'

'Two words - _Finding Nemo_. I blame Mallory. And maybe Tessi a little bit.'

'That's alright, I figured with the way our kids are in each other's pockets, sooner or later one of mine was going to wind up the bad influence.' Meredeth laughed, then winced a little bit as she felt the pull at her stitches. 'Do you think...maybe can you help me to the bathroom? I want to try pooping.'

'You got it.'

She did indeed find success on the porcelain throne and was only a little bit grossed out when Daniel made a note of it in her chart. She supposed since it counted as a bodily-function related to her condition he was obligated to do so; even still the idea someone was clocking when she had to squat was a little weird.

Swinging her feet up so she was back in bed, Meredeth's mind wandered to the night before, when Esposito had taken Tessi and the twins home because they were preparing a surprise for her. What did they have in mind, she wondered; it was a wonder that didn't last long as the door to her room opened and all four of them walked in. Each of the children had a little bag with them while the big man of the house had her big thermal bag she used for transporting hot soups or casseroles to their friends' homes.

'She 'wake! Mo-nin' Mami!' Leo's round brown eyes were sparkly, and Meredeth could see her little man was just like his daddy in that he was an early riser; his sisters were yawning but he was all energy. He strolled right over to her, plunked his bag carefully on the table, then climbed up on the bed beside his mother. 'Hi baby,' he added sweetly, gently patted her tummy. 'You hun-gee to-day?'

'I'm sure baby is, because I'm starving Leo-Lion. What's in the bag?'

'Issa 'pise, Mami,' Trini said, and Meredeth could see the concern in her little face was taking control of everything in her heart. 'You been good fo' 'pise?'

'You know it, I'm very curious to see what you have cooked up with Daddy.'

'Funny you should say that,' Esposito replied with a wink as he adjusted the table on wheels for Meredeth. 'Tessi, princess, if you could.'

'Okay Daddy, I've got it c-covered.'

Tessi reached into her little bag and pulled out a large red-and-white checked napkin, draped it like a little tablecloth over the table, added a fork and knife, and Meredeth's beer-bottle vase along with a little yellow silk rose. 'Okay, we are good to go, Detective Daddy.'

'Excellent.' Esposito reached into the thermal bag; he produced a round, lidded container the size of a medium dinner plate and lifted the lid. The moment he did so, Meredeth wanted to weep with joy at what she smelled.

He'd made her a cheese omelette. It was the dish she'd shown him how to make from scratch the day Dell Ryan had been born, when she'd thought he was taking her to the airport to fly to San Diego for Comic-Con. The alpha-female in her had wanted to take over and tell him he wasn't doing things right, but she knew she wanted Esposito to learn more than she wanted to control. So, she'd literally put her hands in her apron pockets and only spoken, watching him do his thing and he'd made her an actual breakfast that did taste like it was intended for Arturo.

Now he was putting those skills to use and bringing her breakfast while she was recuperating.

'Look at this,' Meredeth breathed with impression. 'Javi, you are getting good at this breakfast making thing.'

'Well we have been together for seven years, you'd think I'd learn a thing or two watching you in the kitchen. And I did.'

'Daddy, it ou' turn now?' Trini asked, and was met with a nod.

'Everybody in the pool.'

'Yea!'

Meredeth watched in fascination as her babies all pulled out their own child-sized containers with their own omelettes. Tessi, being the oldest and the most co-ordinated, passed around little plastic forks and knives to her siblings, and added a little bowl of ketchup to Meredeth's table along with packets of salt and pepper.

'What's all this?'

'Like Mami's Day,' Trini said. ' 'Memer, wit' fowers?'

'I do remember the flowers you got me, they were great.'

She sent a look to her husband, who had that sparkle in his eye - the same kind that had given them their three babies and made the fourth one. 'This was what you were working on last night?'

'Uh-huh. We got all our eggs broken, and our cheese shredded, the peppers and onions and mushrooms chopped so all we had to do this morning was mix and cook.'

'We got to choose what we wanted in our om-el-ettes,' Tessi informed her importantly, emphasizing the word. 'I picked ham and cheese and peppers, jus' like Daddy.'

'I haff 'shooms an' sheese,' Leo added.

'Okay guys, before we get into our food, why don't we set up the next part. Leo?'

'My turn!'

Leo reached into his bag and pulled out the DVD case, handed it to Meredeth for inspection, and what she saw made her smile. 'You _The Little Mermaid, _Leo?'

'Ev-ee-one like it.'

'It has the fish for Tessi, the catchy tunes for Trini, Leo loves redheads, and for you and me, it has all that romance and innuendo,' Esposito told her, adjusting his chair while he popped the disc into Meredeth's mini-player. 'We have three children who all agreed on a movie, let's not spoil it with questions.'

'Agreed.'

They settled in to watch the famous Disney telling of one of Meredeth's favourite Hans Christian Anderson stories, and for a moment, thought about planning a family trip to Copenhagen so they could go to the harbour and have their picture taken with the famous mermaid statue.

'So,' Esposito said as their children munched away and he saw Meredeth dig into her meal with gusto, 'what do you think? Good surprise?'

'Oh muh gud yef,' was Meredeth's garbled response. She swallowed, looked around; anticipating her Esposito handed over a bottle of iced tea since orange juice was still off limits because of the acid. 'Oh, I love you so much Javier.'

'Love you too, Meredeth.'

'Love Mami too!'

'Yes, Leo, you love Mami too.'

'Me too!'

Esposito chuckled as he shoveled in his own omelette - he'd made his as Tessi said, with cheese and ham and peppers - and watched the way his children just enjoyed the time with their mother. It was what made their family unique, he thought, that they loved each other so that just spending time together like this, without a single word spoken, was as enjoyable as being loud and crazy in the Hamptons with everyone else in their extended family.

By the end of the film, they'd all finished their snacks; Tessi and Leo were snuggled up together by Meredeth's knees, and of course Trini was tucked up by her side, one little hand on the belly.

'See, baby,' she told Meredeth's stomach, 'ev-ee-one happy now. Idda good 'tory.'

'Good 'tory,' Leo agreed, then looked at his father. 'Daddy?'

'Yes Leo-Lion.'

'When give Mami odder peasant?'

'No, Leo, it mine!' Trini said in a definite pout. 'You do movie, it mine!'

'Trini,' was all Esposito said and the girl was calm once more, burrowing against Meredeth.

'What's the other thing, Trini?' Meredeth asked, and the girl pouted like a champ, so she poked at her daughter. 'Hey, you, what's the other thing.'

'Nuthin',' she mumbled. 'Leo gonna 'pol it.'

Tessi, ever the peacemaker, set her Tupperware bowl aside and nudged at Leo until they were out of bed, on their feet and asking Esposito if they could walk outside to the water fountain. He went with them, to make sure Tessi didn't wander off again so Meredeth and Trini were alone.

'Mami,' Trini said with a little sniffle. 'Why you no' come home?'

'Because the doctors want to be sure that I am okay to be at home, that I'm not going to get sicker.'

'But...you say...' The sniffled turned into full-on tears and Trini rubbed her face against her mother's sleeve. 'You say 'be home soon'. An' you no'.'

'Oh, honey, honey.' Meredeth held her daughter close. 'I know I said I'd be right home, but sometimes things happen.'

'I miss you.'

'I miss you too, but I'm right here and the doctors think I'll be home soon.'

'Okay. I sorry fo' bein' sad.'

'No, never apologize for how you feel,' Meredeth told her firmly. 'Never do that.'

'Give peasant now?'

'Sure.'

Trini leaned over, reached into her blue and white bag, pulled out another Tupperware container. 'Here. Daddy and I make-em.'

'You did?' Meredeth lifted the lid, gave a hearty sniff; she recognized the smell right away. 'Peanut-butter oatmeal, Trini.'

'They yummy?'

'They are indeed, they're my favourite cookie in the whole wide world.' She took two out, passed one to Trini. 'Do you know this was the first thing your daddy ever made for me?'

'Really?'

Meredeth nodded, began to tell Trini the story of how she'd been moving from her apartment to the townhouse and how Esposito and Ryan used their night off to make her cookies. Trini's expression was one of fascination, and she nibbled her cookie delicately.

'That nice of Daddy.'

'I thought so too.'

'Baby like oh-me-oh cookies?'

'I think baby does indeed.' Meredeth, not really one for sugary sweets herself, reached for another cookie. 'Yes, Trini, you can report back the baby just loves oatmeal cookies.'


	18. Trini Confessing

'Javi, I'm worried about Trini.'

'Me too.'

'She's taking this a lot harder than I thought she would.'

Esposito watched Meredeth take a few more cautious steps. She was now permitted by her doctor to be up and moving around slowing and she'd decided that she was sick of four walls so they were taking a little stroll across the sky-walk to visit Andrea where she was on duty in the nursery. 'Why do you think that is?'

'I don't know,' she sighed, then stopped, leaned on the railing a moment. 'Gotta pause.'

'Of course, babe. Do you think she feels abandoned?'

'No, it's not that. What's she been like at home?'

'She's been sleeping on your side of the bed,' Esposito admitted; he hadn't intended to tell Meredeth that one but since his wife had brought up her concerns about their baby girl, it was much easier to say than to keep it to himself. 'I think she is more upset by the idea you didn't come home when you said you would. You aren't a mami who makes empty promises, you know?'

'I know. What do you think we can do to help her?'

'This might sound a little out there, but take her with you when you get your stitches out.'

Meredeth looked at her husband liked he'd lost his mind. 'What possible good would that do a not-yet two-year-old to see that kind of thing?'

'I think she feels left out of what is going on, for some reason. You know Trini is the first of our babies to jump face first into the swimming pool. Leo tests the waters and Tessi uses the ladder, but Trini will cannon-ball right in,' Esposito reminded her. 'She's not used to feeling left out so maybe getting her on your side that way, maybe that will help her be comfortable with it.'

'Maybe,' Meredeth echoed, then stopped at the glass, saw Andrew in mint-green scrubs and a scrub cap with neon butterflies against a black background. She was doing the neonatal checkups, it appeared, as she had a rather calm little one on the weighing station and she was taking its temperature for the chart. When she put the baby back in the bassinet, she glanced up and gave Meredeth and Esposito a grin. She spoke briefly to another nurse, then came out to the viewing area to give her friends hugs.

'Look at you, girl,' Andrea exclaimed, visibly impressed with Meredeth's fast recuperation. 'Up and around, already training for a marathon, huh?'

'Who's the cutie in your care?' Esposito asked, jutting his chin towards the baby Andrea had been checking up on.

'That is Ethan. He was a preemie and he's now reached his official birthday and his body weight is just great which means his mama can take him home soon.'

'Excellent job, Ethan. Be right back.' He kissed Meredeth's cheek. 'Time to drain the dragon.'

'Drain the dragon?' Andrea giggled after Esposito was out of earshot. 'That's a new one.'

'He's teaching it to Leo too. Not sure what to think of that, but I like it better than some euphemisms I've heard for the boy bits. Heard you guys might be trying for another one,' she added with a wink and Andrea flushed a rosy shade.

'Key word is _might_. Can't do that until Nessa understands Mama and Daddy want to be alone in bed at night.'

'You'll figure it out. If we got Tessi through her stutter, anything can be done.'

'How are you feeling, baby-wise.' Andrea tugged off her scrub cap and her hair sprang out like snakes in a can. 'Any mood swings yet?'

'Not yet.'

'Those are going to be your biggest hurdle because your hormones are all over the place now that your body's trying to compensate.'

'What if my sex drive goes into hibernation?' Meredeth asked bluntly. 'I'm so scared of that, Andrea, I really am. What if I'm some dried up old prune and-'

'Knock it off,' Andrea replied sternly. 'You heard what Lili said last night, she had the same thing happen to her and she not only still has a sex drive, she conceived a second baby three years after the operation.'

'I know, I know. Maybe _that's_ my hormones kicking in already, making me fret?'

'Could be.'

Meredeth heard the approaching footsteps and to her utter delight, she felt the ripple go through her core when she saw her husband walking towards her with Trini holding his hand. It never failed to turn her on seeing her bad-ass murder cop in his daddy role and she actually swallowed deeply.

Andrea caught the look too, and barely held back the laugh. 'You were saying?' she murmured.

'Well fancy that,' Meredeth murmured back. 'Looks like I was wrong. Hey guys.'

'Someone says she needs to talk to Mami, and it's an emergency.'

'Mee-jin-see,' Trini added solemnly.

'Javi, can you give us some alone time?'

'Sure.'

'Why don't you come to the nurse's station with me, Javi?' Andrea suggested. 'Honey-Milk brought cupcakes from Sweet Tooth.'

Meredeth watched them go, then wandered over to the nearby bench with her daughter. She sat down carefully, patted the space beside her for the little girl and she crawled up beside her, put her little hand in Meredeth's much larger, capable one.

'Trini, what is it baby?'

'I sassy. That why you no' home?'

'What?'

Trini gave a weighty little sigh that coming from an eighteen-month old was heartbreaking. 'I sassy. I say don' wann nap.'

'Oh, sweetie is that why you've been staying so close?' Meredeth's heart hitched as Trini broke down and began to cry little tears. 'Oh, Trini, Trini, my little baby girl.'

'I good, Mami, I pomis,' she sniffled pitifully. 'No go 'way 'gin, 'kay? I good.'

Meredeth just nodded, held her girl close. Trini always took things personally, which Meredeth suspected came from being a twin and sharing the most elemental things with someone else. 'You listen to me, Trini, this is no one's fault. I didn't come home because I was sick, not because you said you didn't want to nap on Tuesday.'

'You shoo?'

'I'm sure. One hundred and forty-two percent sure.'

Trini sniffled again, knuckled her eyes. 'I wan' you be p'oud.'

'I am proud of you, Katrina, you have been such a big girl for me and Daddy. And baby knows that too.'

'See-us-lee?'

Meredeth had to chuckled at that one; a few play-dates with Violet Parrish-Robbins and she'd taught it to her as a replacement for the usual 'no way' Trini used. 'Seriously,' she agreed, then felt her own eyes well up when Trini patted her small hand on Meredeth's belly.

'Hi baby, you p'oud me?' Trini cocked her head to the side, slithered a little off the bench. 'Baby say yea Tee-nee!'

'See, there you go.'

'Meredeth, time to go back.'

She looked up, saw Esposito standing there and Trini gave Meredeth's belly a kiss before going over to stretch her arms up to her daddy. 'Okay, back we go.'

'Mami say all goo' Daddy,' Trini told him. 'Mee-jin-see done.'

'That's good to hear. Care to share with your old man?'

'Nuh-uh.' She shook her head, looked over at Meredeth. 'Idda gil ting, Daddy.'

'Oh, it's a girl thing, huh? Should I leave you two and Tessi to the chardonnay and chocolate while Leo and I hammer some drywall and talk about monster trucks?'

'Wha' sha-nay?'

'A drink for grown-ups,' Meredeth replied smoothly, giving her husband the playful-evil eye. 'You can try it when you're older.'

'Okay. Where Tessi? Where Leo?'

The question was answered when they arrived back in Meredeth's room. Tessi, Dell, Leo, Mallory and Nessa were all perched on Meredeth's bed with cards in their hands while Honey-Milk did her charting in the armchair nearby.

'You have any thuh-rees, Nessa?' Tessi asked, smiling at Dell who was helping Nessa with her cards.

'That one, Nessa.' He pointed to the card and Nessa grinned at Tessi.

'Shah!'

'That's right, we share.'

'Nessa's geddin' good at cards,' Mallory commented to no one in particular. 'She gonna be 'mart.'

' 'Mart, 'mart, 'mart. I 'mart,' Nessa chirped.

'Yes you are, and so are Mallory and Tessi.' Dell punctuated this state with a little smile at Tessi and the girl's heart fluttered wildly in her chest.

'An' me too!' Leo said indignantly and Dell nodded.

'Yeah, but we are the bros, Leo, we gotta give our girls com-pill-ments. It's your turn too.'

'O-kay.'

'Sorry to interrupt World Series of Go-Fish,' Esposito grinned, 'but the patient needs her bed back.'

'Mami!' Cards forgotten, Leo and Tessi all but leaped off the bed to give Meredeth a hug; the boy twin sent her a delighted grin. 'We payin' Fish!'

'Go Fish, Leo, it's c...called Go Fish,' Tessi reminded him, then wrapped her arms around Meredeth's torso lightly. 'I am careful Mami, I won't suh-quish you or the baby.'

'Baby feelin' bedda now?' Mallory asked, gathering up the cards.

'Baby,' Nessa added.

'The baby is doing just great,' Meredeth started, then looked over when Harvey walked in behind her. 'Looks like you guys might have to take the game elsewhere for a little bit.'

'Mami, I 'tay?' Trini asked hopefully.

'Well...'

'It's okay, Meredeth, I'm just inspecting your incision site. Nothing to do right now with the baby. That will be its own appointment,' Harvey assured her.

'Okay, then you can stay, Trini.'

'I wan' 'tay too!' Leo protested, but his big sister had her hand in his and was tugging him towards the door.

'No, Leo, we gotta give'em puh-rivacy.'

'Why Tee-nee 'tay?'

'Because she is sensi-sive, and Mami and Daddy want her to see Mami is okay,' Tessi explained patiently, which had Leo nodding though he still looked confused.

'She 'cared?'

'Yes, Leo, she is a little suh-cared.'

'Tee-nee, no 'cared,' he called over to his sister and gave her a little thumbs-up, the site of which made Trini smile.

'Gassy, Leo.'

Meredeth and Esposito watched the exchange amongst their children, looked at each other. They knew they had good kids, but seeing it in action like this, during the tough times, confirmed to them they were doing a good job with them. As Meredeth lay on her back on the bed, Trini rested on her knees beside Meredeth's hip.

'Dotta 'Vee,' she asked as he bunched up Meredeth's gown to inspect the incision site, 'when Mami home?'

'Well, little senorita, since her incision is healing quite well I think she'll be going home tomorrow.'

'Mo-woh?'

'That's right, Trini.'

'Yea Mami!' Trini leaned in, gave her mother a kiss on the cheek then patted her belly. 'Goo' shob, baby.'

Esposito chuckled, then looked at Harvey. 'What about the stitches?'

'I'm going to make an appointment in about two days to take them out.'

'I think Trini might feel better about things if she sees I'm not in pain,' Meredeth said, brushing her hand over Trini's back. 'Trini, are you cool with that? Would you like to come with me to the doctor to get my stitches out?'

'It might look scary,' Harvey warned her, but Trini's resolve was firm as granite.

'It no' hurd?'

'No, it won't hurt your mami.'

'O-kay. I coo'.'


	19. Home Coming

'Okay Mere, one more step, almost there.'

'Practicing for when I'm in labour, Javi?'

'I want to make sure my pregnant, post-surgery wife gets up the stairs to get home in one piece. Sue me.'

Meredeth chuckled, then let out a breath as she went through the door of her home. Not surprisingly, Lili, Cam, Duncan and Rosie were there, Cam keeping a grip on Arturo's collar.

'Behave, you,' he told the dog in his best Marine voice, and eased his hold on Arturo. To his relief, the dog trotted over, sniffed at Esposito and Meredeth before licking their hands and wandering upstairs.

'I guess we're getting the cold shoulder for a little while,' Esposito commented, setting Meredeth's bags down. 'Hey guys.'

'Tia Merry, you are home!' Duncan walked over, gave her a cautious hug. 'That okay?'

'That's just great, Duncan-Donut.'

'Mami and Daddy and Duncan and me made the house look nice,' Rosie said, adding her own hug for her aunt. 'We even bought you new groceries.'

'You did?' Meredeth said in the appropriately excited, if fatigued, voice to mirror Rosie's enthusiasm; the girl nodded brightly, tugged Meredeth's hand.

'Come and see.'

With Meredeth occupied, Esposito let out a little breath of relief as he gave his sister and brother-in-law a sturdy hug each. 'Thanks so much you guys, seriously, I-'

'Hey, you were there for me and Lili when Rosie was born early,' Cam replied smoothly, 'this is no different. Where are the kids?'

'With Mami and Papa. They're bringing the kids home soon, and Mami's staying tonight and tomorrow to help out so Mere can have a little breathing room while adjusting to being back at home,' he replied, mind already wheeling about how he was going to handle it all. He knew he would, he just had to remember to breathe deeply and often. Esposito turned to his wife, who'd come back with Rosie from the kitchen. Despite having the apples back in her cheeks, she still looked glassy-eyed which had his radar going off. 'Mere, why don't you go lay down for awhile, I'lll bring you some tea and your pills in a little bit.'

'That sounds great. Maybe...maybe first I can have a bath? I feel so grungy.'

'Shower,' Esposito amended. 'Doctor said no stagnant water on your wound, just running water like a shower. But you do have those nice soaps I gave you at Easter.'

'Right. Okay, I'll see you all in a few minutes.'

'You want a hand getting upstairs?'

'No, I have to do it myself to get better.'

Esposito swallowed the laugh; she wondered where Tessi got her rock-headedness from when all Meredeth had to do was look in the mirror. On a sigh of relief his Danish angel was home he went into the kitchen himself and saw there was fresh milk, eggs and butter in the fridge, along with cheese, meats and vegetables; there was also an overabundance of fruit and Greek yogurt which he knew was for making Meredeth her smoothies.

Going to the cupboard, he checked and saw there was still protein powders from when Meredeth had been making Lanie her baby-smoothies as well - unflavoured, vanilla, and chocolate - tucked into the space beside all of Meredeth's cookbooks. He stopped a moment when he saw the homemade one he'd given her for their first Christmas together; it was nestled right beside the one he'd received from the guys when Meredeth had been pregnant with the twins. He pulled it out, flipped to the section on soups and grinned.

His mami would be in for a surprise.

When his sister and her family had left, Esposito rolled up his sleeves, began rinsing broccoli in the sink as water boiled for stock on the stove. He was going to make Meredeth one of her favourites for dinner - broccoli-cheese soup. Smooth, creamy, full of nutrients and protein and it was on the good-foods list they'd been given by Harvey for Meredeth to have as a post-surgery patient.

'Okay,' he murmured, dumping the bouillon into the boiling water and then adding the broccoli once the powder had dissolved. 'Broccoli is cooking, next is the roh-ux. Sorry if I said that wrong Mere,' he added, staring at the ceiling.

There was a knock on the door, and Esposito answered it to see his parents and children on the other side. 'Hey guys,' he said quietly. 'Meredeth's sleeping upstairs, and I'm making her dinner. Come on in.'

'We won't stay long,' Alejandro promised his son, bringing Leo in his arms as the little boy was tuckered out. 'We know you want to have your own space after all the insanity in the hospital.'

'Did you find out who took those pictures?' Rosalita added, setting down the grocery bags she's brought with supplies to stock her son's freezer up.

'Yeah, Beckett did a little snooping, turned out it was one of the cute-but-stupid orderlies who'd brought Mere into the ICU. Robina issued an official statement, and TMZ actually printed an apology. I think it's the first time they've ever done that, but they fed the legit info-tainment centres who were right pi- ticked off,' Esposito corrected since Tessi was in earshot and he didn't want her picking up bad words.

'Well, all's well that ends well, I suppose.'

'Daddy, wan' go nap,' Trini said, and Tessi nodded her agreement. 'We 'noozy.'

'I'll take them upstairs,' Alejandro offered. 'I've already got the little prince in my arms anyways.'

'Good idea, 'buelo,' Tessi told him, then held a finger to her lips. 'We will be q..quiet, Daddy.'

'That's my girl.'

Esposito watched his little troopers march upstairs, Tessi holding her sister's hand the whole time before turning back to his mother. 'You want coffee, or tea, anything?'

'Just tend to Meredeth's dinner, _mijo_,' Rosalita suggested. 'It smells delicious. You've been taking notes when she cooks.'

'That's right, he can be taught. But how do you say that?' He picked up his recipe book, pointed to the word that had tripped him up. 'I know what it is, equal parts butter and flour, Mere taught me that. I don't know how to say it, though.'

'It's pronounced 'roo', like kangaroo.'

'Good thing I didn't butcher it in front of her, she'd just roll her eyes at me.'

'And laugh while she did it,' Rosalia chuckled as she turned on the kettle for tea. She studied her son with loving eyes as he stirred in milk and seasonings. 'You're a great husband, Javier. Not many of the ones I know in our neighbourhood would do this for their sick wives. They'd leave it

'As I told Mere when we started dating, I'm not most guys.'

'So true, and neither is Cameron.'

'Mami, did it ever concern you that both your kids picked Caucasians as their life partners?' he asked, stirring the soup base before adding the broccoli and stock puree to the pot.

'Not at all. You can't choose who you fall for, Javier. I was a Huertas, we were farmers and the Espositos were city people, the ones with money.'

'You guys had money, you owned the land and orchards and processing plants, you gave tonnes of people outside the city jobs.'

'But were were labourers at the heart of it, and the Esposito patriarchs saw that first and foremost. So my romance with your father was considered taboo, too. That's why when we decided to have babies, we made each other a promise that it sincerely wouldn't matter if they were gay, straight, purple or cross-eyed, whomever they chose as their one true love would be welcomed by us.'

Rosalita put her hand on her son's shoulder. 'Did someone say something to you, Javi?'

'No, just...I had dinner with Victoria, my old partner on Tuesday night,' he explained, 'and she pointed out that Meredeth is a white woman, which I never really think about. I- she's my Danish angel, that's what I see when I look at her. My beautiful Danish angel who married me and had my babies and will have one more.'

'And that's how it should be. Now.' She clapped her hands lightly, looked around. 'What can I do to help you out right now?'

'The kids are going to need to eat, and Saturdays are usually family movie night when I'm off the roll, which means Meredeth will make popcorn with fancy flavoured butters.'

'I can do that, have it ready ahead of time. What does Meredeth like?'

'She likes the spicy cheddar ones. All the seasonings are in the snacks cupboard.'

'I'll find them. How is the soup coming?'

They fell into a rhythm of working in the kitchen, and by the time the soup was ready, as well as the dinner for the kids, Esposito was getting a tray ready for Meredeth which had Rosalita shaking her head.

'She should be coming down to eat with everyone, it'll give her a sense of normalcy again.'

'True, Mami, but the doctor also said she has to be careful how much she is going up and down the stairs for the first few days she's home, at least until her stitches are out.'

'Very well, then. I'll go and wake up the children.'

Esposito made an 'mmm' noise in his throat as he finished getting Meredeth's dinner ready, noting that his mother had made for the children cheesy ravioli with meat-sauce. It was one of the few meals all five of them absolutely agreed on without any qualifications and he knew Tessi, Leo and Trini would enjoy having it their first night with their own mother home again.

With the tray ready for Meredeth, he swiftly moved up the stairs, nudged open the door to their bedroom and set the tray on her bureau top. She was lying in bed on her right side, an improvement to be sure since that was where her stitches were, breathing gently through her nose; her hand was resting in the spot where he normally slept. Seeing her home, lying bed and resting like she was just taking a nap after a busy day writing and tending to their babies, had Esposito choking up. He'd promised her he would take care of her when he was sick in their wedding vows and he would live up to the promise come hell or high water.

Sitting down on his side of the bed Esposito picked up her hand, kissed the soft skin there. She stirred, then blinked herself awake. When she saw it was her husband beside her Meredeth wriggled a little and propped her head on her hand.

'Hey there handsome,' she smiled at him.

'Hello yourself, sexy.'

'Yeah, right.'

'No, really, you smell like you,' Esposito insisted, leaning in to kiss her, then snuffled at her like Arturo would, making her laugh. 'You smell like French perfume and cucumber soap. I've been in love with that smell from our first date.'

'The movie night that got cut short because you had to go to the morgue. We had our first kiss by the subway station and I grinned like an idiot the entire trip home.'

'And I showed up at the morgue with your lipstick on my mouth.' She lifted her chin, sniffed. 'Something smells yummy.'

'I made your favourite - broccoli cheese.'

Meredeth's stomach gave a loud gurgle and she patted it lightly. 'I can handle some of that.'

She righted herself, banking up the pillows behind her back as her husband brought over the tray with the bowl of soup, wheat toast and a glass of skim milk. One spoonful, and she was ready to weep.

'Oh, baby, this is fantastic.'

'Really?'

'Uh-huh, right now it's like sex. Food-gasms, if you will,' she said, gobbling up more and more much to Esposito's delight.

'That's right, honey, drink up, we need you giving the baby those nutrients.'


	20. Esposito Balancing

Even with his mother there to give him a light hand with running things, Esposito was certainly finding it a trick to balance all the tasks that needed to be accomplished in a day. He wondered how Meredeth made it look so easy, working from home and running the house as effortlessly as she did. He realized that there was far more effort behind it than was visible on the surface.

Today, day three of Meredeth being incapacitated, he hoped would be a better day, as each day since she'd been home had been an improvement. Rolling over to the buzzing of his alarm, he saw the clock read just past seven am and he groaned. He had his honey-do list, the one he'd made himself so that Meredeth would see he wasn't just good at being a cop, he could handle the domestic stuff that he usually left in her care too.

With a yawn, he rolled to his back, then to his side so he could watch his wife. She'd gone the day before to get her stitches out and that had been quite the trip for Trini. They'd been gone longer than Esposito had anticipated them being, but upon their return, he learned that Meredeth had taken Trini out for an ice cream date at Roscoe's Sugar Shack. Trini had been a very good girl, she hadn't cried once, and even kissed her mami's cheek when Meredeth had let out a little tear of relief that her incision was healing quite well, and the sonogram of her inside lady-parts were on the mend as well with no lingering infection. That kind of bravery deserved a treat, Meredeth had said, so she took her sweet-tooth daughter to get a cold, creamy scoop of Death by Chocolate; no mistaking it, she was Javier Esposito's child with that kind of chocolate-crush.

Esposito thought of the pride on both mother and daughter's faces when they'd come home as he stroked his palm over Meredeth's naked shoulder, toyed with the strap of her thin tank top. She still didn't fully understand, he mused, how it made his mouth water the way she was so comfortable being casually naked, like when she just walked out of the shower in the ensuite to her towel she'd forgotten on the end of the bed, or when she slept with no clothes on. Esposito had to take a moment or two to get his blood back in his brain before going to give her a good morning kiss on days like those.

Her eyes fluttered a little, and she smacked her lips together a little bit as she roused herself from slumber. When those beautiful blue eyes opened and focused on his, her smile was slow and sexy, and in Esposito's mind, she didn't even know it.

'Hey you,' she mumbled, forcing herself to wake up a little bit quicker. 'You been up long?'

'Five minutes, ten at most. Go back to sleep.'

'Nuh-uh. Meds are making me dream funny things, it's making me fidgety.'

'No spiders, though?'

'Nope. Those demons are long gone, my love.' Meredeth leaned forward, gave her husband a kiss with a little more heat behind it. 'So far, my body's adjusting to the hormones pretty well.'

'And how's the baby feeling this morning? Esposito grinned as he moved his hand beneath the covers to gently stroke her belly that would start to pop and puff up with one more baby soon. 'You've barely had any morning sickness, and your appetite's hasn't been as high, but maybe that's the lingering effects of the drugs?'

'Probably. Javi, we're okay, really.'

'I know, but this is the last time I'll get to be an expectant daddy,' he reminded her.

'Well, never say never.'

'Mere, I love you but five kids is a little much, no?'

'And what if this had turned out to be twins?' Meredeth arched an eyebrow in triumph at her small victory. 'Not saying that we should have one more after this, given the issues I've had but the dream of a hundred babies of our own is so much fun.'

Esposito had to laugh. 'There's the hormones in full-kick, Mere.'

'How do you know that?'

'Think of how we'd get all of those one hundred babies.'

'Practice.' She grinned with a wrinkle in her nose; even if she didn't feel it all the way, her blood was still running a little quicker in her veins as she and her husband pillowed talked like this. 'So what are you and the kids up to today while I slugify?'

'Actually, I was thinking if you're up for it, we might take a little walk over to the park, have ourselves a little picnic lunch with the kids and the dog.'

'Oh, God we are disgustingly all-American, aren't we? Should I wear pearls and a bee-hive?'

'I love you, Mere,' Esposito laughed, kissing her once more, then looking over at the little 'ewwww' he heard in the doorway to see all three children standing there in their pjs.

'Daddy, why mooshin all-time?' Leo asked, head cocked to the side as he walked in with his sisters. 'It yucky.'

'Trust me, in about ten years or so, you won't think it's yucky to kiss a girl you like.'

'Yes.'

'No.'

'Yes,' Leo insisted. 'Gils icky.'

'I icky?' Trini looked at her brother with indignance. 'Tessi icky too?'

'You no' gils, you sissers. Diffin.'

'Yes, but the girls you like might be someone's sister,' Meredeth pointed out to her son as he climbed into the middle of the bed. 'Like Nessa, perhaps.'

'Ew, no mooshin' Nessa!' Leo looked sincerely appalled by the idea. 'She fin!'

'Oh, you're just friends are you?' Esposito looked at Meredeth with a wink and a knowing grin. 'Guess it must be Violet Parrish-Robbins who's caught his fancy.'

Leo blushed fiercely. 'Violet lindy.'

'She is _muy linda_,' Tessi agreed, her little heart so proud her brother had a friend like she had Dell. 'But you gotta buy her fuh-lowers. Shane always buys Alexis fuh-lowers. RJ makes him do it.'

'RJ make cookies.' Trini smiled shyly. 'Yummy cookies.'

Now it was Meredeth's turn to tease her husband. With a little groan of effort she sat up straight in bed, gave him a playful elbow in the ribs. 'Looks like our baby girl has designs on a Castle boy, Javi.'

'Oh, God. It's bad enough my oldest girl already has a boyfriend.'

'I do not!' Tessi retorted even as her plump chipmunk cheeks turn red as little cherry tomatoes. 'I am too little!'

'Agreed,' Esposito told her, then tossed back the covers. 'Alright, troops, time to let Mami get a shower and rest before we go to the park this afternoon. What do we want for breakfast?'

'Pan-c...c..cakes!'

'Bacon-eggs!'

'Oh-me-oh!'

Meredeth only giggled when her husband looked to her for a little help in refereeing the options. 'Hey, you didn't give any conditions, babe.'

'Okay, how about French toast with fresh fruit?' Esposito ventured and all three dark little heads bobbed in agreement.

'Taw-bees!'

'And oranges.'

'Boobies!'

'I think you mean blueberries, my lad.'

Esposito ushered his children out of the room, downstairs to the kitchen where they all found their spots at the kitchen table; he wasn't at all surprised to see his mother there, sipping tea and reading the morning paper. Her eyes sparkled with good humour as she watched her boy and his kids come into the kitchen.

'Morning, Javi,' she said, stirring her tea. 'How is everyone this morning?'

'Hungry. We're having French toast and fresh fruit if you'd like some?'

'I can make it if you want, give you a chance to get your morning plans sorted out.'

'No!' Trini's voice was plaintive as she shook her curly little head. 'Daddy do it!'

'Apparently, they only want me.' Esposito grinned at his mother.

'Then I'm going to start on the wash.'

'I'll save you a slice or two.'

* * *

><p>They got through breakfast mostly without incident - Trini and Leo had decided that while they were waiting for round two of their French toast to try and toss berries into each other's mouths like they were seals with fresh fish. That had been curbed right away when Esposito told them if they couldn't eat their food nicely they wouldn't get to have fancy breakfast anymore. The twins had cut it out right away, and patiently waited until they were served.<p>

After breakfast, all three children were enjoying story-time with their abuela while Esposito finished the laundry and multitasked it with cleaning the kitchen and setting about planning their picnic lunch for the park. Meredeth in addition to having her stitches out, had also gotten the all-clear regarding her diet post-surgery and she was free to resume her usual prenatal regime of high-protein, high-fibre.

With this in mind, Esposito stood in front of the fridge, contemplating making the beef-and-beans tex-mex dip she was so fond of when his mother came in.

'They're in the living playing, Tessi's got an eye on them, they're fine,' Rosalita assured her son. 'What are you working on?'

'There's a load of the kids clothes in the dryer right now, and a basket of towels waiting to be folded, they're the last two loads right now. I'm trying to think of what we can make for the park that'll be good and hearty for Meredeth.'

'What does she like?'

'She likes damn near everything,' Meredeth said behind them, making her husband and mother in law turn towards the sound of her voice.

'Hey, look who's up and around!' Esposito rounded the island, gave her a kiss. 'How you feeling?'

'Refreshed, impatient, puffy. Like someone who has a little someone growing inside her and she can't decide what she wants to eat.'

'I made the kids French toast, you want some?'

'Sure.'

'Daddy!' Tessi's voice hollered from the living room. 'Leo isn't playing nicely, he's hogging all the c..crayons!'

'Tessiana, indoor voice,' Esposito reminded his oldest child. 'What's the problem?'

'Leo no' sharin', Daddy,' Trini added in an impressive pout from beside her big sister. 'No' fair.'

'You're right it's not fair. Leo, what's the story, my main man?'

Leo rolled his eyes, irritated by the whole notion he was forced to explain himself. 'I good, Daddy.'

'So why are your sisters saying you're not treating them nicely?'

'I need cay-ons.'

'And so do Tessi and Trini. Everyone's sharing,' he reminded them. 'Or no one plays.'

'Fine, Daddy,' Leo sighed and nudged his cache of art utensils towards the centre of the table. 'I sorry.'

'Don't apologize to me, say sorry to your sisters, they're the ones you cheesed off, little bro.'

The boy muttered his 'I'm sorry's' to Tessi and Trini, then looked at his mother. 'Mami, why you down here? Why walkin'?'

'Because the doctor said where they got the bad stuff out of my body is almost all better now, and walking is going to help me feel like myself again.'

'Oh, okay.'

Leo toddled back off the the coffee table, and when Esposito turned back to look at his bride, he saw the little fires lighting in her eyes.

'Can I help you with something, Mere?' he teased her, and got a kiss - a big fat one with plenty of tongue - for his troubles.

'The moment I get the all-clear, I'm so going to bang you for being such a yummy daddy.'

'Well, then, you should see me fold my kids' laundry,' Esposito told her in a sultry voice. 'That really oughta do it.'


	21. Love Making

'You're sure you don't mind, Agnes?'

Meredeth caught the tip of her thumb between her teeth while on the other end of the line, Agnes' laugh was rich and hearty.

'Meredeth, the children are fine, they are very excited to have a sleepover with Nessa with no parents around. Go have your nice romantic evening with your boy.'

'Okay, but you've got the number here if-'

'Meredeth, don't make me call you young lady,' Agnes warned her teasingly, making the mother-to-be laugh.

'Fine, fine, thanks again.'

'Anytime. Bye-bye.'

Meredeth hung up the phone, continued to study the kitchen. She'd done it up nicely so that when her husband arrived home after shift, he would be walking into his own little retreat away from the stress of a most-recovered wife and getting back into his job. She had it arranged to a T: the dinner of broiled fish with sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus was waiting and warming in the oven, and she'd gotten out their wedding china that they usually only saved for birthdays and Christmas; the Wedgwood Seville pattern of deep blue with silver edging against the pearl-white glinted in the light of candles she'd set on the table. She'd even chosen her lingerie which was waiting upstairs for her in their bedroom, a sexy flyaway baby doll in amethyst purple - one of Esposito's favourite colours for her to wear - that she'd picked up at Sizzling Stork that afternoon.

'Whatcha think, tiny? Think Daddy will like this surprise?' she murmured, stroking the ever-growing mound beneath her shirt. The baby had just started moving the week before and thankfully this time it hadn't been when they were in bed together as it had been with Tessi. This time around it had been during a family movie night, when Leo had been cuddled up beside Meredeth, hugging her and then letting out a yelp as he claimed something hit him in the head. Upon realizing it was the baby's first movements they could feel, movie night had been forgotten and they'd all lain hands on Meredeth's body.

She stopped to look at her reflection in the glass of the china cabinet and smiled. As it was the end of August, she was just over nineteen weeks and she was definitely pregnant now, no question. The hormones had been a little more violent in their spikes and dips since her body was trying to right the ship, as it were, but once Harvey had found the right dosage of the hormone pill he'd given her to try out once she'd hit eleven weeks and four days, Meredeth was back to being her usual horny-preggo self.

And tonight, on a rare child-free night, she was going to put that overdrive into good use.

Her hand wandered briefly down to the spot where she still felt the occasional twinge of muscle spasm near where her scar was - now she had a smaller raised pink line on here abdomen that ran parallel to her appendectomy scar from her preteen years. More than anything it was itchy as hell as the skin worked double-time to regenerate those lost cells.

Tonight, however, she wasn't going to let that momentary discomfort get in her way. She had one thing and one thing only on her agenda and that was sexing up the very delectable Javier Esposito.

She'd just put the fancy silver domes onto their prepared plates in the dining room when she heard the front door unlock followed by her husband's voice.

'Ola, que pasa? Anyone here?'

Meredeth came out of the dining room, smiling a sultry little smile at her husband. 'Hello, handsome.'

'Hello yourself, sexy.' Esposito felt his blood run a little hotter at the sight of his pregnant wife - she was wearing tiny shorts that showed off her long legs and her maternity tank top gave him a good eye-full of her impressive breasts. Her hair was tied up in a messy knot at the back of her head, the way she did when she was working in her kitchen. And of course, there was the bump, the beautiful little butterball under her top that was their fourth baby percolating away. He blinked at a little at her top. 'Baby's kicking up a storm, huh?'

Meredeth looked down, saw the way her tummy was gently being nudged around. 'A little bit.'

'Doesn't that bother you? I mean, that much movement, is it painful?'

'Nope, just occasionally uncomfortable. Listen you,' she told the belly, giving it a poke with the tip of her finger, 'I plan to have a nice grown-up night with Daddy, okay? Think you can put a lid on it for a few?'

'Now, Mami, don't be such a killjoy,' Esposito chuckled, putting his hands on the wriggly-jiggly belly and grinning when he felt the kicks and nudges there before giving her a kiss. 'Where are the troops?'

'Sleepover with Nessa and Agnes. We are home alone, Javi.'

'Oh, are we?'

'Mm-hmm. The kids will be delivered tomorrow between eleven and noon, according to Agnes, so we have over twelve hours for just you and me to...play.'

'I like to play with you,' he murmured, diving back in for another kiss and lingering this time, letting the tip of his tongue trace the outline of her lips. 'You are very good at playing.'

'So are you. You know what I'm even better at?'

'Food?'

'Mm-hmm. I made us a nice dinner which is in the kitchen, but first I thought we'd have a little snack in the dining room.'

She led him in there, and Esposito felt his heart thump hard in love for his beautiful bride - there were candles on the sideboard, the seaside ones that made him think of fruit tropical drinks and his beautiful bride in a very tiny bikini, and on the table, a bucket of ice which held a chilling bottle of sparkling cider. Beside it there was a fruit plate with whipped cream for dipping.

'Are you trying to tempt me with naughty-treats as an appetizer?'

'Maybe. Is it working?'

'I don't know yet. Here, you shouldn't be on your feet so much, baby.'

Esposito pulled out her chair for her, and swallowed a little tightly when he watched her smoothly cross her legs; now that was talent - she was almost five months pregnant and still could do that thing like Sharon Stone in _Basic Instinct_ with her legs. It never failed to get him hot. Stripping off his suit jacket and rolling up his sleeves, he plucked a fat, juicy blackberry from the plate, popped it in his mouth with a little bit of whipped cream.

'Now that is tasty,' he said with his mouth full.

'Oh yeah. How was the Keir case going today?'

'Slow but steady. The guy's financial records are like reading Chinese.'

Esposito tried to continue with his train of thought but all thoughts simple or complex had evaporated with the sight he beheld, that of his beautiful Meredeth slowly biting into a cream-drenched strawberry and using her tongue to catch the strays around her lips 'What? Did you say something?'

'No, babe, not a thing,' she replied with her slow and sultry smile. 'Why, something on your mind?'

'I think you set this all up so you could seduce me and have your way with me.'

'Why you have to ruin my fun?' Meredeth pouted but only for a minute. 'Was it that obvious?'

'A little but do you hear me complaining?'

'Come to think of it no.'

'Right, so I think we better put this-' he picked up the fruit tray in one hand, the ice bucket in the other '-over here-' he moved them to the side board, far away from the table, then turned back to Meredeth, who was sitting beside the empty table. 'Stand up.'

'Why?' Meredeth asked, confused even as she complied.

'Easier to do this.'

Esposito captured her mouth with his, in fast and greedy bites as he leaned into her so that she was on her back on the table and Esposito began running his hands over her body - breasts, shoulders, tummy, anywhere he could reach. On a short grunt of impatience, he tugged on the needle-thin straps of her tank top and saw she had on some kind of silk band-bra under her shirt. With one flick of his wrist it was peeled over her head so Esposito could fill his hands with her breasts.

Meredeth sighed softly, reveling in his hands on her body, so strong and sure. Her own became busy fumbling at the knot of his tie; when it was loose she flung it over his shoulder, then set to flipping open his shirt buttons. The lovely tingly sea that had been floating around inside her all day was now a raging tsunami of demand in her body and on a frustrated cry she grabbed Esposito's shirt-front and ripped it open, letting her eyes glaze over at the sight of his impressive chest.

'Mere,' he groaned, nibbling at the flesh of her throat where her pulse hammered beneath the skin. 'You want more?'

'Uh-huh.'

Esposito yanked down her shorts, her panties so she was naked in front of him; he reached behind to cup her bottom in his palms, moved her so she was leaning up against the edge of the table. Shrugging out of his shirt, he ran his hands roughly up her legs, then retreated only to do it again. The charge he got watching Meredeth's breath hitch in and out as he stopped just short of where she wanted him most. Finally he gave in to her, and dipped his fingertips over that sweet, slick part of her so that she arched her back and made no attempt to hide how much she wanted it.

Meredeth swore she felt her eyes roll back in her head as her husband stroked her. He always knew, she thought fleetingly, he always knew just was it was she needed from him. Then everything went hot and bright as those clever fingers went from teasing her gently to plunging and seeking inside of her; the suddenness of it had her let out a cry of surprise and delight as the heat bloomed deep inside her and began to spread.

He watched her body respond to his touch and for some reason, tonight it wasn't enough for Esposito. She just looked so damn hot naked beneath him that he could barely control himself, so he gave in to that base animal inside him, the one that had gone hard as granite from watching her be so hot and ready for him so quickly. Unzipping his pants, he didn't even bother shoving them most of the way down his body, just out of the way enough so he was free to bury himself inside his wife. Gripping her hips, he moved her to the edge of the table, then bracing his hands on her thighs plunged himself inside her to the hilt.

'Oh!' Meredeth cried it out loudly, head rolling side to side. 'Oh, God, Javi!'

Esposito watched her eyes focus on his face and he gave her a look of such loving lust that he could actually see the layers fall away off Meredeth's restraint and just let herself feel. His hands moved to wrap those long legs he loved so much around his hips, and leaning forward, he braced his hands on the table beside her hips so that his stomach bumped against the bump. He made it a deep, slow grind, and each cry of passion he elicited from her had her getting louder and louder until finally, when she told him she was coming, it was in a scream tumbling from her lips. That she was so lost in sensation, in him, made Esposito keep his eyes on hers until they slammed shut as his own orgasm overtook him.

Spent and satisfied, yet feeling so pumped from the energetic and sexy surprise, Esposito watched Meredeth's face, as he heard her chuckle in satisfaction while her legs unlocked themselves from around his waist.

'Just like when we started dating,' she murmured with a devilish grin. 'Only this time, it was the kitchen table.'


	22. Babies Talking

_Hello everyone! I am so happy to see all of your putting this story on your favourites and alerts lists! Even when you aren't reviewing, knowing you like to read it makes me thankful for your interest as well. I've had a couple of people ask where the title for this one came from, and it was meant to be a play on 'Scenes from an Italian Restaurant', one of my favourite Billy Joel songs, but as the story progressed its taken on a different meaning. The whole idea now is that when Esposito goes to the diner to have a meal with an old female friend who was also a bed-partner, he's having some tough times at home, but the time spent with said friend simply reinforces how much he loves Meredeth and his children, which is put to the test when Meredeth needs emergency surgery._

_Whew! I've talked enough! Keep reading and reviewing and sharing the love!  
><em>

* * *

><p>'Mami, why are all of us going to the baby's doctor appoin'ment today?'<p>

Tessi looked up at her mother as the elevator ascended to Harvey's office across the street from Saint Vincent's hospital. This was most unusual. She had a vague memory of going with her parents a few times when Meredeth had been pregnant with the twins to see the funny-looking blobs on the TV screen. For all of them to go together like this was even stranger.

Meredeth looked down at Tessi, and Trini and Leo who were also looking to Meredeth in anticipation of the answer.

'Because, Tessiana, today we find out if I have a little boy or girl in here,' she replied, rubbing the round mound of her belly as the baby did some serious karate kicks.

'We should all be there for such a momentous occasion,' Esposito added, winking at his daughter. 'We'll need your help too, picking out a name.'

'We should have a Suh-panish name and a Danish name,' Tessi decided, 'be-cause Mami is Danish and Daddy is Puerto-Ri...Ri-can.'

'That is a good idea, Tessi, but I think since we all have a Spanish last name, maybe we should give the baby a very Danish sounding first name,' Esposito suggested as the elevator doors dinged open and they went into the waiting room of Harvey's actual offices. It was easy to forget the man had them since ninety-percent of the time he was at the hospital across the street, but nonetheless the doctor insisted on keeping appointment hours on certain days of the week separate from Saint Vincent's.

They went into the waiting room, and Meredeth went to check in; almost immediately she was shown into the exam room where she changed into her thin, papery gown.

'Don't worry, baby,' she murmured to the bump, 'this is just a routine check-up, nothing to fret about. We've gotten through the scary stuff already. Now we're just focusing on getting you big and strong for your birthday next February.'

There was a knock on the door and Esposito stuck his head in. 'All clear?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Okay guys, quietly.' He held the door open and Meredeth watched her babies toddle in, sit down on the chairs usually reserved for spouse. Trini ever the cuddle-bug, sat on her sister's lap and they played some kind of clapping game while Leo looked around at all the posters of babies and mothers.

'Mami,' he asked with a confused tone, 'how see baby?'

'Don't worry, Leo, there's a special thing the doctor does.'

'No 'pation?' Trini's head snapped up, her brown eyes filled with worry as they darted from her mother to her father and back. 'You say 'pation done.'

'That's right and it is, the doctor doesn't have to do an operation for us to find out,' Meredeth reassured her little worry-wart.

'How see baby?' Leo repeated.

Before Esposito could answer, Harvey came in with Andrea behind him and for a moment both Esposito and Meredeth could only stare.

'Andrea, where did all your hair go?' Meredeth asked in a bewildered tone.

The nurse smiled gleefully as she raked her hands through the new pixie-cut. 'I knew this day was coming, I was growing it out to make a donation to the cancer society, and when I cut off the part I was donating, I decided to go for something convenient and stylish since Nessa's in a hair-pulling stage.'

'Is that to go along with the shark-crib phase?'

'No,' Andrea laughed, 'thankfully that one was short-lived.'

'An'ea, no talkin', baby time!' Trini exclaimed impatiently. 'Wan' see li'l sisser.'

'Boy,' Leo corrected her with a poke. 'It a boy.'

'Alright that's one a piece,' Harvey chuckled as he plugged in the ultrasound machine. 'Tessi, where do you weigh in?'

'Well...'

'No shy, Tessi,' Leo encouraged her sweetly. 'Pit-out.'

'Who taught you 'spit it out', my boy?' Esposito asked, and his son smiled charmingly.

'Tio Cam, Daddy.'

'I think,' Tessi declared after mulling it over, 'that Mami has a boy inside her tummy. I was born first and then Leo is the biggest tuh-win, and then Trini, so it goes girl boy girl boy.'

'Babies don't always work like that, princess,' Meredeth laughed.

'Alright, moment of truth. You guys want to move closer for a better view?' Harvey asked the trio of children and they all nodded the affirmative. A few scoots of the chairs closer and they were in perfect position to see the screen.

'What it do?' Trini asked, eying the complicated looking machine with suspicion.

'It is gonna show us the baby inside Mami's tummy, right Daddy?' Tessi looked to Esposito for confirmation, and pride was bright in her chest when he nodded.

'That's right Tessi. Trini, it's okay,' Harvey told the little girl, whose hands had rested on her cheeks and she was slwoly creeping them towards her eyes. 'It's not going to her your mami. Remember when she had her stitches out?'

'No oushie, no tears.'

'Exactly.'

Andrea flipped on the machine, then squeezed the blue gel onto Meredeth's exposed abdomen. She moved the wand over the belly and grinned at the children. 'See? That's it.'

'That it?' Trini perked up. 'Where baby?'

'The baby is right...here.'

Meredeth propped herself on her elbows to see the screen, heard the gasps of all three of her babies, and felt her husband give the top of her head a firm kiss. On screen was the definite outline of a baby, the head and arms visible, and there were the feet that kept giving her insides such hell.

'There you go, guys,' she said with a little wobble in her voice; it was the fourth baby, but having all her other ones with them to see this one made it just as special as the first time she'd heard the heartbeat of her firstborn.

'Wow, good shob, Mami!' Leo said breathlessly.

'It geddin' big!' Trini exclaimed excitedly, getting into the spirit now that she knew her mother wasn't in pain from the process.

'So what's the good word, Doc?' Esposito asked, clearing his throat. He could let out those manly tears later with Meredeth, but not in front of his kids today.

'Are we gonna have a buh-rother or sister?' Tessi said in the same tone.

Harvey moved the wand over Meredeth's belly, found the sex organs and smiled. 'Good news, Leo, you're not going to be the only Esposito man in the house.'

'It a boy?'

'Yes indeed.'

Meredeth let out a happy little squeal, craned her neck to look at her husband. 'A boy! I was right!'

'I never said you weren't, Mere,' he laughed. 'I just said let's be sure.'

'You knew already, Meredeth?' Harvey looked confused, and so she explained her vivid conversation with her grandfather while under sedation after her surgery, which had him nodding. 'Oh, I see. Yes, I've had some women like that come through.'

'An'ea, you see?' Leo pointed to the screen with pride. ' 'Nudder boy!'

'I see that,' she laughed.

'His name is Maximilian,' Esposito said with a calm definition that had all his children and his wife looking at him.

'Daddy, you said we are going to pick out his name together,' Tessi reminded him.

'And we will, Tessiana, but I made your mami a promise.' He moved around the side of the exam table so he could look Meredeth in the eye. 'And I keep my promises.'

'Haffa keep pomis.' Trini had her serious face on as she looked at the screen. 'Hi, Max, no oushie Mami.'

The simple words from her baby girl had Meredeth's eyes spilling over, so Andrea passed her a tissue. 'It's alright girl,' she murmured.

'Thanks.'

'Okay, Tessi, Trini, and Leo, for being such good little cheerleaders, you get to come with me and get something from the treasure chest!' Andrea used her best mama voice to usher out the young ones, leaving Harvey to speak with his patient.

'So, you are having a boy, Meredeth, and he's a good strong one too. He'll probably clock in around seven pounds, maybe seven and a half.'

'Good,' she sighed, letting out a nervous breath. 'What about the other tests you ran last time?'

'Your amnio results came back normal, even better than normal.'

'That's excellent news, Doc.'

'We're going to weigh you, and do your blood pressure for the chart, and then the pelvic examination.'

'Oh, won't that be a treat,' Meredeth grumbled good-naturedly, making her husband laugh. 'What's so funny?'

'Just thinking that when our girls get to be teenagers and need those kinds of exams too there's only two of them to make me uncomfortable.'

'Yes, but you'll also have to explain nocturnal emissions to our sons,' she pointed out, and grinned a little when his face went lax in panic. 'Now who's laughing?'

* * *

><p>'Mami, what does Max want for dinner?'<p>

'I don't know baby.'

'Does he like pizza?'

Meredeth only shook her head as she sat down to take off her shoes. They were home from the doctor's and as her husband had gone back to work, she was left with the little ones. Trini and Leo had already raced upstairs, but Tessi was staying with her mother to keep a watchful eye on her, like Tessi had promised her daddy before they'd left the doctor's office. 'Not everyone considers it a food group like you, Tessi.'

'But it's so yummy!'

'Be that as it may, I'm unsure what we're going to have, Tessi. Right now, it's nap time for all five of us.'

'Five?'

'Yep, you, the twins, me and Max. We all need a little quiet time right now.'

'Okay. I'm going to find C..Crush, Mami, would you like to cuddle with him?'

'That's okay, princess. I'd like the time just for me and besides, Crush snores,' Meredeth replied, making Tessi laugh.

'I don't hear him suh-noring, Mami.'

'That's because you're louder than him. You're almost as bad as your daddy.'

Tessi snorted like a little pig, then went into her room, pressed 'play' on her little stereo so the roomed filled with the sound of Moonlight Sonata in C-Sharp along with Tessi chatting away with her beloved stuffed turtle. A quick check on the twins told Meredeth, to her utter delight, they were already down for the count - both were sprawled like little starfish face-down on their beds. Since previous experience told her moving them would cause more problems than it would resolve them, she quietly closed the door and went into her bedroom. The bump prevented her from going face-down on the bed, so instead she opted to flop on her back, staring at the lazily rotating ceiling fan.

She was growing a son, Max, Meredeth thought as she rubbed her hand over her belly, and he was just fine.

'Hey in there,' she said quietly, talking to her baby boy. 'Yeah, you in there Max?' She felt the nudges under her palm and smiled. 'Yeah, you are. That was quite the trip to the doctor's office today, but we need to figure out some important stuff now, starting with dinner tonight. I don't know what the twins will want but I do know that your big sister, or let's make that your _biggest_ sister, wants pizza. Sometimes I wonder if there isn't a little Italian in our family tree somewhere. What do you think, should we make it a pizza night when Daddy gets home?'

There was another nudge-nudge from the baby, and Meredeth smiled. 'I agree, we'll nap on it, and then decide.'


	23. Leo Interrupting

When Esposito made it home, he knew he was late for dinner and for tucking the children into bed. A glance in the living room told him that Meredeth was eating fruit salad and watching what appeared to be an episode of _Heroes_.

'You still watch that show?' he teased her, walking up behind her as she shoveled in mixed berries with pineapple and honeydew melon.

'This is season one, back when it was actually good,' she retorted, then set her snack aside and paused the disc. With a swipe over her mouth with the back of her hand, Meredeth turned as much as the belly would allow her to and she gave him a sweet, slow kiss. 'Hi.'

'Hi back.'

'Interview went long, huh?'

'Ugh, I am so not about work tonight. I just want to be home with my family and my sexy mama,' he replied, leaning in for another kiss, this one with a little more zip in it. 'How are my princesses and my prince? Did they go to bed already?'

'Leo and Trini are in their pjs, and Tessi is reading to them. I can make you something to eat while you say your night-nights.'

'Yeah, then we get you and me time.' Excited to see his family, Esposito gave Meredeth a third juicy kiss and headed upstairs to Tessi's room where he found his oldest girl in her shorts and t-shirt pjs with a copy of _Heidi and The Purple Moose_ in her lap, her twin siblings on either side, looking on at the pictures. They made such a picture, he thought - Tessi had his cheeks and dark curly hair and her mother's eyes and smile, while Leo and Trini were both caramel-topped like Meredeth with his own brown eyes. His most precious gems, all from that beautiful jewel downstairs and himself, and by Valentine's Day there would be a fourth one. Seeing them like this, so innocent in a world that could be so ugly as he well knew, Esposito knew there was nothing and no-one he wouldn't face to keep all five of them safe and healthy and happy.

Fascinated, he leaned against the door-frame as Tessi's voice, so much like Meredeth's, spoke in enthusiastically dramatic tones.

'What now,' said the Moose impatiently,' Tessi read, her dainty finger following under the words so she couldn't lose her place on the page. 'We have no map so we don't know which way to go.'

'Why don't they just follow the setting sun to go west?' Esposito asked from his spot at the door, and his heart bounded in joy as all three heads snapped up and they scrambled off the bed to bowl him over with hugs. He crouched down to catch them all in his arms.

'Daddy!' Leo reached him first and hugged him, held up his hands for the feed-the-birds handshake which Esposito performed with him. 'Cash baddies to-day?'

'No, but the judge told us that we get to poke around a suspect's house tomorrow so that might tell us who our bad guy is in our case. And we had to talk to someone who knew about a bad guy, but he wasn't co-operating, which is why I wasn't here for dinner.'

Not to be outdone by her twin brother, Trini wrapped her arms around him next. 'You ged'im 'morrow, Daddy.'

'Thanks, Trini.'

'You had to cuh-rack a perp, Daddy? Did the cap-tain say 'good work today boys,' Tessi said in her best imitation of Roy Montgomery.  
>'Yes he did, but where did you hear that phrase? Wait let me guess.' At his daughter's sheepish grin, Esposito only shook his head. 'Tessi, am I going to have to have a man-to-man talk with Dell Ryan already?'<p>

'No, Daddy, he's just a funny, silly boy.'

'That he is. Have you been good for Mami today after I went back to work?'

'Uh-huh. We played with Arturo downstairs and in the backyard while Mami was resting with Max inside her tummy, and as a thank-you for being so good, we got to have fish and crunchy potatoes for dinner! With cold-slaw and everything.'

'Mami busy wit' baby,' Trini added, resting her head on Esposito's shoulder, breathing deep that scent of him and feeling the relief of a cop's child he'd come home safely.

'And she said thank you for being so nice and patient and suh-taying out from underfoot.' Tessi like the way the words sounded so grown-up as they rolled off her tongue. 'she's the best mommy ever.'

'Ever,' the twins chorused and Esposito nodded in agreement.

'She is,' he said as he stood up. 'So why don't you let me go get changed, and we can finish the story together, then it's bed time for you so I can have some grown-up alone time with Mami.'

All three heads nodded excitedly, and Esposito kissed them all as he sat down on the floor, taking the book from his oldest daughter to pick up where he'd interrupted them.

With the story read and children tucked into their bunks for the night, Esposito went into his room, decided to spruce it up a little for some romance. Not that the night before hadn't been fun - who else but them could say they actually had sex on the dining room table when the wife was five months pregnant? - but he wanted to give back to her the same love she'd given him. At the end of the day, she was still Meredeth and a cop's wife who had his back no matter what the challenge was in front of them. After setting the stage, he changed into loose-fitting comfy-clothes that were easily stripped off when the mood struck, and headed downstairs.

As expected Esposito found his wife in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of smoothie from the pitcher. She was addicted to them in this pregnancy, and with good reason since she'd need as much calcium as she could get since she only had the one ovary now.

He walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her body; she was smaller with this baby, or maybe it just felt smaller since her last pregnancy had been a two-fer. 'Hello gorgeous,' he murmured in her ear. 'I have something for your upstairs.'

'Don't you want something to eat?'

'I had Monsoon's at the precinct. Come on.'

He took her by the hand and led her up to their bedroom where Meredeth set her smoothie aside, pressed her hands to her heart in delight. The room was glowing softly with the light of the coconut tea lights - he'd set them all near mirrors or reflective surfaces so that the light refracted and multiplied, giving their bedroom an ethereal quality tonight. And their fragrance made Meredeth's mouth water; coconut was their signature bedroom scent and its perfume never failed to send her to a happy place. On the bed was a bag from Sizzling Stork beside their toy box.

'What is that?' she asked, pointing at the bag.

'Something for you. I was going to give it to you on our anniversary on Saturday but I've got something else for that in mind too. Go put it on, then we'll have some fun getting it off you,' he murmured in her ear, making Meredeth's blood run hot.

When she'd gone to change, Esposito skinned down so he was just in his boxers and he flipped open the lid of the toy box to pull out another new addition - the latest issue of _Dear Diary_, a classy-ish porn mag he and Meredeth enjoyed together in the form of their dirty bedtime stories. He had a feeling she could use one tonight.

Stretching out on the bed he waited for her and felt all the blood drain into his lap when he saw her step out of the ensuite, just as brave and confident as ever before. The soft peachy colour looked great against her skin-tone, and Esposito could see she'd skipped the panties tonight too.

'Damn, baby, you look like a little Danish apricot,' he told her, 'and I just wanna eat you right up.'

Meredeth gave him a little smile. 'Why all this fanciness tonight?'

'Because you're my wife and I love you, and I want to remind you that just because you're pregnant doesn't mean it has to be all about satisfaction. It can be about romance too.'

Picking up a remote Esposito put on their song - For You I Will - and held out his hand. 'Care to dance, my love?'

'Sounds wonderful.'

He pulled her close as best as he could, keeping his hand on her hip, then decided to turn her so she spooned against his chest. 'I like this,' he murmured.

'Yeah?'

'Yep. Way easier to do this.' With the flick of the wrist, he drew the soft fabric of her lingerie up, up, up, over her head so that Meredeth was naked against him. 'And this.'

He cupped her breasts in his hands, gently squeezing them as his fingertips brushed over her nipples. Her gasp of delight turned into a sigh as he continued to do so; he knew the right one was a bit of a hair-trigger, as there'd been times when he'd done no more than this and Meredeth had been ready to commit murder for him if he'd asked.

'Javi, can we do this in bed,' Meredeth murmured. 'I'm really liking it and I'm tired of being on my feet today.'

'Of course, Mere.'

Gently as he would a newborn Esposito moved Meredeth back into his arms, laid her gently on the sheets before running his hands up and down that creamy, dreamy skin. He traced a pattern over her pregnant belly, then stopped to look at her.

'I was thinking if you wanted we could read a dirty bedtime story.'

'Not right now,' was her languid reply. 'I want the real thing right now.'

'Okay.' He kissed her cheek, then ran his hand back up to her breasts where he toyed with the nipple that was already stiffened and waiting for him. Twisting he lowered his mouth their and heard her satisfied cry.

'Oh, yes, baby.'

Eposito had to chuckle a little at that but kept it up until he saw her face, heard the change in her breathing. 'No,' he told her. 'I don't want you to pop just yet. Hag on, baby.'

He nudged her thighs apart a little bit, then kissing his way down her body until he was almost in a position to do a sixty-nine, and moved his mouth over the inside of Meredeth's thigh.

'Oh, Javi, right there, right there,' she groaned as that clever tongue laved against her. She ran her fingers over his smooth scalp, trying to hold on to that edge. Then two of his fingers slipped between her legs, and Meredeth nearly went cross-eyed at the sensation of it.

'Yes, baby, just like that.'

Esposito just continued what he was doing until he heard the knock on the door. 'Who is it?' he asked through the door, making sure nothing was popping out to embarrass them both.

'Leo. I gotta talk-a Mami,' was his stubborn reply.

Esposito glanced over, saw Meredeth had put a discarded t-shirt on over her nakedness, and as he was still in his boxers, he opened the door to let their son in.

'It's late, buddy why are you up so late?' Esposito asked as his son strolled into the room, climbed up on his side of the bed. 'Did you have a bad dream?'

Leo nodded vigorously. 'I 'tay here?'

'Oh, Leo-'

'It's okay.' Meredeth waited until she had her husband's attention for a moment and he met her gaze, gave a little nod. 'We'll make sure that nothing gets you.'

'Good. Bad t'ings 'tay 'way.'

'You betcha.'

As the little boy snuggled down in the middle of the bed, Meredeth looked at her husband. 'Cock-blocked by a twenty-one months old baby. There are worse things to have happen.'


	24. Love ReMaking

'Mere.'

'Yeah?'

'He's down for the count?'

Meredeth looked down at little Leo between her and her husband in their bed, who was sighing peacefully in his sleep with his little thumb in his mouth; it was something he did only when he'd had a nightmare. 'He's down for the count,' she agreed.

'Good.' Esposito scooped him into his arms, and walked him back to the room he shared with his twin. On the way there, the little boy stirred momentarily.

'Daddy?' he mumbled in his sleep.

'Yeah, Daddy's got you, big man.'

Leo's eyes flickered under his closed lids and he was out of it once more, never budging as he was tucked into his bed andd given a kiss on the forehead by his father.

'Sweet dreams, Alejo.'

Esposito headed back into his bedroom, groaning at his discomfort. His son had the worst timing, he thought with a wince, then looked at Meredeth who was trying her damnedest not to laugh.

'What's so friggin' funny, Missus Esposito?' he asked her, though he could feel the grin spreading over his face.

'Nothing at all,' Meredeth replied with a giggle as she peeled off the t-shirt she'd hastily tossed on. 'Feeling a little...blue, are we, Detective?'

Esposito made a sound in his throat that was part snarl, part groan and all frustration. 'You have no idea how uncomfortable this is?'

'I don't know how uncomfortable it is? Who is it that gave birth to our babies again?'

'It's a guy thing, Mere.'

'Want me to kiss it better?'

Now he returned the smile she gave him. 'That sounds like an excellent idea.'

Crossing to the bed Esposito stripped off his boxers and sprawled on his back. 'Use me,' he declared, making her laugh out loud.

'You have such a way with words, Javi.'

But Meredeth adjusted her body, dipped her head to kiss him. Her tongue traced the outline of his mouth and beneath the hand on his chest she felt his heart thudding away, increasing in speed as the other hand traveled lower and lower on his body. She reached him, closed her hand around him and began to work him gently at first, to ease the ache. His breath began to hitch a little, pausing as he let the feel of her hands on his body overtake his senses.

'God, Mere,' he groaned as she pressed against him, and he felt the bump of the belly against his side.

'More?'

'Mmm,' was all he could manage to get out at the moment; all there was in the world was his beautiful Meredeth, his Danish angel. The feel of her skin, the touch of her against him had every nerve ending sizzling. He heard the words she murmured to him, and the sound of her voice had him marshaling all his powers of concentration to make his request.

'On top, Mere, get on top of me,' Esposito all but begged her as the sound of his pounding heartbeat filled his head.

'Okay, okay,' she replied in anticipation. So it wouldn't be the tender romance he'd planned for them tonight. At least not this first round, Meredeth realized as she straddled him and sank down on top of him. The little 'oh' she made as she did so was music to Esposito's ears, and he watched her face as she began to move.

Gorgeous, was all he could think. The sight of his wife, his best friend and lover and mother of his children, arching her back in pleasure as she made love to him was just gorgeous. He curled his body so he could sit up, hands going to her hips as he moved with her.

'Mere,' he murmured, nipping at the soft skin on her shoulder, 'come with me, baby. Come for me.'

Esposito focused dark eyes on hers, cupped her breasts in his hands as she whimpered for him, then on a sighing shudder, let go with him following her over the edge.

Wrapped together in the middle of their bed Meredeth pillowed her head against his shoulder, laughed a little. 'That feel better, Javi?'

'Very. You?'

'I wasn't the one in pain.'

'No, but I know you were just as cranky to have your sexy time with me interrupted.'

'Well, I think it's- oh! Hey!'

Meredeth looked down at the bump as she felt the baby moving around inside her like he was a spinning top. 'Yeah, I know Mami's heart is going pretty fast, huh, little one?' She brushed her fingertips over the mound of her belly. 'Don't worry, Max, that's a good thing.'

'Yeah,' Esposito agreed, 'and when you're about eighteen or so, you'll understand why Mami's so excited.'

'I love you, Javi.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

They kissed, then on a pleasured and satisfied sigh, Meredeth rolled onto her back off her husband. 'Oh, man, I wish I wasn't so sleepy feeling after that.'

'So no hope for round two?'

'I wouldn't say that,' she replied with a wink. 'Give me like ten, fifteen minutes tops. Those preggo-horny hormones will kick in again.'

* * *

><p>The next morning, Meredeth was up with her husband as he readied himself for the day, and was in the shower, rinsing the soap from her hair as she hummed a happy little tune. They'd managed to fit in a second round the night before and a quick one that morning, which meant both of them would be going about their day with a smile on their faces and a spring in their step.<p>

Shower done, she stepped out while being mindful of her foot placement so the softened joints she experienced during pregnancy didn't act up and give her a turned ankle or worse. Meredeth wrapped her husband's fluffy green bathrobe around her and walked out of the ensuite.

'Mo-nin, Mami!'

Meredeth stopped short when she saw her children were there, already dressed and wide awake. 'What are you three doing up?' she asked them cheerfully.

'Daddy said we have a very important job to do today!' Tessi said triumphantly.

'Nussy-time, Mami,' Trini explained, patient with her mother. 'Daddy say.'

'Baby bed,' Leo added, not to be outdone by the girls. 'Baby shif.'

'The baby is going to need a bed and shelves, isn't he?' Meredeth chuckled, giving them each a loud, smacking kiss. 'But why are you all awake?'

'Daddy's making waffles.'

'Oh, I see, Tessiana, what did you promise for that to happen?'

'Nothing! Honest! Daddy said he wanted to make you a good-morning breakfast.'

Of course, Meredeth thought; he'd never let that one go: her husband was a staunch believer that the quality of a night of passion could be measured by the kind of breakfast the man made for his lady the next morning. Pancakes had always been the height of the spectrum, however that had been before he'd had her homemade chocolate chip waffles, then they'd been bumped out of place by waffles.

'What's he making?'

'Waffas,' Trini replied. 'Wit' ships.'

'Yum-yum, Max.' Leo reached out and gave Meredeth's bumpy tummy a pet. 'Good fo' babies.'

'Then let's not keep Daddy waiting.'

The quartet headed to the kitchen downstairs where they saw Arturo scouting for crumbs under the table as Esposito, with an apron over his shirt and tie, flipped the final waffle from the maker to the platter, and put the plate on the table which was set for five. He glanced up at the sound of the children and grinned.

'Welcome to the Espo-Bodega. You want butter or syrup for your breakfast?'

'How about both?' Meredeth crossed over to him, gave him a kiss that had the three little ones making faces.

'Ew, we eatin', Daddy!' Leo wrinkled up his nose, stuck out his little tongue. 'Icky!'

'No mooshin' now.' Trini shook her head in disapproval.

'This is a family fuh-riendly zone, Mami and Daddy.' Tessi did her best to give them the evil eye. 'No k..kissing like that around us little ones.'

'Tessi, you are such a character,' Esposito laughed, giving her head a smooch. 'But speaking of family-friendly zones, you've all got a very important task to be working on today, right?'

'Right!' They chorused it as Meredeth helped cut up the little bites of waffle, adding butter for Leo, and syrup for the girls.

'What did I miss?'

'Mami, we gotta pick Max's other names out,' Tessi exclaimed. 'You gotta have the right names!'

'I A-le-jo Ri-ca-do Rey-nal-do,' Leo said dramatically, punctuating it by stabbing a bite of waffle and jamming it in his little mouth.

'I Ka-tee-na E-le-nia Shen-if!' Trini added with just as much theatricality as her brother.

'And I am C..Consuh-tance Tessiana Marie. We have the best-est names ever, and our little Max needs the best name too.'

'Max Ah-Shay!' Trini suggested.

'That's not his name, that's his initials,' Tessi told her sister, which had the twins and their sister devolving into an argument about how things were named, which made Esposito laugh as his cell rang. Checking the ID, he saw it was Ryan and he stood up, swallowed down his coffee.

'Time to serve and protect.'

'Daddy, be safe,' Leo and Trini said in tandem.

'No getting hurt,' Tessi reminded him, and Esposito gave her a little salute.

'Yes ma'am, and you,' he told Meredeth, bending at the waist to rub her belly where the baby was kicking like a soccer mule, 'Max, you play nice with your mami, she's been working hard to keep you healthy and safe, okay? Gimme one for good luck.'

Because she knew it would freak her kids right out, Meredeth tugged on her husband's tie and pulled him in for a good, hard kiss she knew would send him out the door with stars in his eyes. 'Love you,' she murmured against his lips.

'Love you too. Love you guys!'

'Love you Daddy!'

When Esposito had headed out the door, Tessi gave her mother the fish-eye once more. 'Mami, how are we gonna get any work done today with you mooshin' Daddy like that all the time?'

'Well, he's gone to work, right? And now it's our time to tidy up the breakfast dishes and then work on our sock folding, and work on finding a middle and third name for Max.'

Once the kitchen was tidied, Meredeth tried to get her kids to help her with the last of the laundry but all they wanted to do was play the name-game so with some manoeuvring, they put her drafting easel in the kitchen and Meredeth assigned them each a marker-colour for keeping track of their suggestions.

'Tessi, for the last time, we're not naming Max after the dog,' Meredeth told her oldest girl, shaking her head in amusement.

'Mami, listen! Maximilian Arturo Esuh-posito! That sounds puh-retty!' Tessi protested playfully.

'No, Tessiana.'

'But-'

'Mami say no!' Leo reminded his sister. 'No is no.'

'That's right, no is no. So.' Meredeth rubbed one hand on her belly, then crossed off 'Arturo' from the list.

'Mimel name, Mami?' Trini blinked at her mother. 'Daddy mimel name?'

'Daddy's middle name? Jimeno.'

Tessi watched her mother write it out on the board, then sounded it out herself. 'Maximilian Ji..Jimeno Esuh-posito. I like it.'

'Oooh, that goo'!' Leo said breathlessly, and his twin nodded in vigorous agreement.

'We all like that one?'

'Piff-ect!' Trini clapped her hands together.

'It's perfect, okay, so you guys got to pick out that name, which means Daddy gets to chose the other one when he gets home tonight.'


	25. Baby Naming

_Hello all! So I know the last few chapters have made some serious time leaps, but I am wanting to keep this one as short as I can, because the next story coming up is a big one! It's the 20th Crumbsian story! So read, review, love and share, as always!_

* * *

><p>For a moment when Meredeth awoke, she felt a little disoriented, as the bed beneath her wasn't her own nor was the scent in the air one of home either.<p>

Then the twinge between her legs throbbed deep and she remembered exactly why she wasn't home - she'd had a baby that morning.

As Meredeth moved from groggy to alert, the whole of it came flooding back to her - it was February thirteenth, probably around lunchtime now, but she'd gone into labour at her in-laws during dinner the night before. She'd known she was in labour, but she didn't say anything for about an hour or so because she'd wanted to finish the pepper-steak sandwich she'd been sharing with Lili. Everyone in their immediate family had been there - Rosalita, Alejandro, Cam and Lili, Rosie and Duncan, and of course Esposito and the babies.

As they'd been having coffee and cookies after dinner, it was little Duncan who piped up and asked his Tia Merry why she kept making a funny face every so often, and Esposito being a smart man and a father three times over already knew exactly what the face meant. He'd stayed calm, as getting flustered would only have upset the children - especially Trini who was still wary of anything going wrong with her mother - and timed the contractions with Meredeth for an hour. When they clocked in at thirteen minutes apart, each one lasting around thirty seconds, Esposito knew it was time to get his bride to the hospital even though her water hadn't broken yet. Tessi, Trini and Leo had all looked around with confused excitement, and when Meredeth explained that their baby brother had decided he was ready to be born they'd actually cheered. Tessi, ever the big sister, had ushered her siblings over to get their coats and mittens while telling them they had to be good and patient since babies took their time coming into the world.

They'd been spectacular during the labour, too, Meredeth thought. They hadn't gotten cranky or impatient once; in fact they'd done quite the opposite, taking turns bringing her ice chips and Tessi had even stayed with Meredeth and Esposito and told her to 'breathe, Mami, breathe' when she'd been in the early stages of her labour. All of them had felt like little superheroes for their parents and their new little brother.

By midnight or so the little ones were tuckered out and curled up with the Twelfth Precinct family in the lounge, when Meredeth was at five centimetres; she'd been so diligent in her prenatal health care that Harvey had cleared her for a vaginal birth. By five-thirty in the morning, she'd hit the magic number ten and had hands-down her easiest delivery of all four of her children. She only had to push for maybe twenty minutes - with the twins it was forty-five and with Tessi it was over an hour - and then there he was, little Max in the bantam-weight category at seven pounds, four ounces and seventeen-point-six inches long. She'd laughed and cried with Esposito, who had been right there beside her every step of the way like he always was. He'd cut the umbilical cord and this time, once Honey-Milk had wrapped Max in his number 12's blankie and toque, Esposito had brought the baby over to his mami himself weeping tears of joy the entire time.

Turning on her side, Meredeth glanced over at the clear-sided bassinet where her new son was sleeping. Maximilian Jimeno Something Esposito, she mused. They still hadn't picked out his third name yet, but Meredeth had a feeling her husband wanted them all to pick it out together once the children had seen the baby. That was fine with her, as she wanted all of them to bond quickly.

'Hey, Max,' she murmured to him, watching the way his little chest rose and fell. 'You have no idea how many people are so excited to see you here safe and sound, big boy. There's a few you'll be seeing a lot of, because they are your big brother and your big sisters. I bet they haven't even eaten breakfast yet they are so excited.'

The word 'breakfast' seemed to perk up Max, for her stirred gently and was blinking his eyes as he tried to find the source of that gentle, soothing voice. Smelling his mami nearby, he wrinkled up his nose and began to splutter in his little plaintive call for food.

'So that's all three of us Esposito men who started off as fans of your boobs.'

Meredeth glanced up as she settled Max into position and saw her husband there; he'd gone to Agnes' apartment with the children to get a shower and fresh clothes and was back in under an hour. How he managed to bend time and space like that was anyone's guess but right now, Meredeth didn't give a damn, all she cared about was the fact he was there with her and they had a fourth beautiful and healthy baby.

'Hey Daddy, you look good.'

'Is Max Power there having a bite to eat?' Esposito asked as Meredeth adjusted her hospital gown for feeding the newborn. His heart was so full of love for his wife and child it was a wonder it didn't just simply give out. He walked over, pulled up a chair beside her and grinned as foolishly as he had with Tessi and again with the twins. 'Damn, girl, you do nice work with them babies.'

'Well, I had some help from a sexy Puerto-Rican, you know.' An old hand at this breast-feeding thing now, Meredeth leaned over and gave her husband a kiss. 'I love you so much, Javi.'

'I love you so much right back, Mere.'

'So we still need to pick out Max's third name. We've got Maximilian and Jimeno, but we need that number three in there.'

'We've got a little bit of time,' Esposito reassured her. 'The kids are in the lounge and ready to chew their own feet off because they want to see their new little brother.'

'In a few. Let's let Max have a few more peaceful moments.'

'Agreed.'

They said nothing, just reveling in the presence of their newest baby as Max continued to suckle down his morning milk, dark blue eyes fixed on his mother's face the entire time. When he'd switched sides and had his fill, Esposito put him against his shoulder to firmly pat the little guy's back.

'That feel better, Max?' he murmured and heard the pop of the burp. 'I bet that does. Okay, you ready for the avalanche of love?'

'Of course Daddy,' Meredeth replied. She tugged her gown back up into place, but kept her nursing pillow on her lap so she could accept Max back into her arms and wiggle her toes in anticipation of seeing her children.

A few minutes later, she heard them walking down the hallway and her husband's instructions that they had to be quiet because Leo was so new and tiny. Then they were filing into the maternity suite, each with a little 'It's a Boy' gift bag in their hands. All three pairs of eyes, one blue and two brown, were shining in excitement.

'Hey guys,' Meredeth whispered excitedly. 'Say hello to your little brother.'

'Hello Max,' Tessi cooed, her smile wide and thrilled. She put her gift on the foot of the bed and walked right up to her mother's elbow to look at her new brother. 'Hello little Max, you are just the cutest, yes you are.'

'Oh, Mami.' Trini looked at Max with awe and wonder. Her little hand fluttered out, rubbed her mother's arm. 'He piff-ect! Jus' piff-ect!'

'He's perfect, huh, Trini?' Esposito chuckled.

'Uh-huh, piff-ect.'

Leo, noting that the girls had all gathered on one side, rounded the foot of the bed and got a look at Max from a different angle. 'Hi bo. I Leo, you Max. You ah-some.'

Meredeth felt her eyes fill up a little bit but she managed to hold the tears in. 'You guys are the best, you really are,' she told her babies. 'And I know if Max could talk, he'd tell you the same thing.'

'When talk, Mami?'

'Oh, sweetie, he has to be a lot bigger,' Esposito told Trini gently, then patted his lap where his littlest girl crawled on. 'Right now he needs lots and lots of help because he's so new and little, and you know who's going to do that, right?'

'Us!' Tessi declared proudly. 'We are the big sisters and brother, that is our job.'

'And Mami and Daddy don't have to do anything?' Meredeth laughed.

'You have the boobies, Mami, you have to give Max his milk.'

'Tessi! Bad wor'!' Trini's eyes went wide. 'No say!'

'No say,' Leo echoed, then nudged his gift bag at Meredeth. 'Fo' Max, Mami.'

'That's so nice of you Leo, but I think we're going to open it when Max is asleep because my hands are full with him right now. Isn't that right Max?'

She looked at the baby and he responded by screwing up his little face and letting out a monster snart - just before he sneezed, his bottom end erupted in a cacophony of noise.

'Ooo, Max 'tinky!' Trini waved a delicate hand in front of her nose. 'He 'mell bad!'

'Babies poop, Tah-rini,' Tessi reminded her sister with the surperior knowledge she had at four years old. 'Just like you and me and everyone else in the world.'

'Ah-Shay too?'

'Especially RJ.' She leaned in for a moment of sisterly conspiracy. 'He's a boy and they smell really bad when they poop.'

'Ew! No' Ah-Shay.'

'Guys.' Despite being thoroughly entertained by his children, Esposito had to shake his head. 'I think right now, we need to focus on more important things than pooping, like naming your little brother.'

'He Max, Daddy,' Leo replied, confusion coating his little face. 'He haffa name.'

'That's true, he's already got Maximilian and Jimeno but he needs one more in there, just like all of you.'

'Hmm. What is a good name.' Tessi tugged on her curly black hair, like she was actually pulling on a thinking cap. 'Come on Tessi, think.'

'You're getting very good with those c's and k's, princess,' Meredeth commented as she snuggled Max close to her chest and his little hands balled into fists in her hospital gown. 'I haven't heard a single stutter all morning.'

'I think it will be my best day ever, because today is Max's birthday, Mami.'

'Happy bee-day!' Leo clapped his hands excitedly. 'Happy, happy, happy.'

'What name do you like, Leo?' Esposito asked. 'Maximilian Jimeno what?'

'Ma-mil-an Jimeno...umm...'

'What about you, Trini?'

'Umm...ummm.'

'That's not a name, guys,' Meredeth teased them, and both the twins made frowny faces.

'He should have a Danish name and a Suh-panish name,' Tesi insisted. 'We are Dane-o-Rican babies, right Daddy?'

Esposito laughed at the amazing powers of memory retention Tessi had. 'I did say that.'

'What about Dane?'

'Dane?'

'Uh-huh.' The little girl nodded seriously. 'Maximilian Jimeno Dane Esuh-posito. That is a very nice name I think. What do you guys think, Tah-rini and Leo?'

'Like,' they replied in unison, Trini adding for good measure. 'Pidy fo' boy.'

'It's pretty for a boy, huh? Maximilian Jimeno Dane Esposito.'

Meredeth looked at her husband. 'Javi, you're the head of the household, what do you think?'

'I'm the head but you're the neck, baby,' he replied with a wink, 'cause you turn the head any way you want.'

'Clever boy, and nice movie reference. Okay then, we're agreed.' Meredeth turned Max around so he was propped up against her body and looking out at everything else. 'Maximilian Jimeno Dane Esposito, this is your big sister Tessi, your big brother Leo and your other big sister Trini. And that's Daddy, I'm Mami, and we are going to have some fun together.'


	26. Family Welcoming

_Hello everyone! So here we are, the last chapter of this one! And not to worry, the next story is MOS-DEF a Caskett tale, and because it's the 20th Crumbsian story I will make sure there is some specialness around it. Thanks once more to anomalymona, tayababy and NCISchick for being amazing friends and cheerleaders and sounding-boards! Read, enjoy, share and review!  
><em>

* * *

><p>'Cameras?'<p>

'In the tote bag.'

'And the vitamin drops?'

'Diaper bag.'

'Three other children?'

Esposito smiled. 'They are in the after-school rooms with Dell, Mallory, and Nessa.'

Meredeth returned his smile as she tucked Max into his newborn snowsuit and into the baby carrier. It was the sixteenth of February and they were ready to take the newest Esposito home to Chelsea. She briefly wondered if having him tucked beneath a blanket with the snowsuit would be overkill, but then it would be easier to cool Max down by removing layers at home than it would be to warm him up.

'You, young man, are going with me to the car downstairs, and Daddy is going to get your siblings.'

'Is there going to be enough room in the Nissan, Mere?' A thought occurred and Esposito was horrorstruck. 'Are we going to need a _mini-van_?'

'No, we don't need a mini-van, Javi,' Meredeth giggled at his panic. 'Remember, we've got the twins' booster seat which only take up a single seat-space in the back seat, so Tessi can be a big girl and sit in her booster up front with you.'

'You've always got it figured out, huh?' Esposito gave her a kiss. 'Love you.'

'Love you too.'

As she'd been up and walking around a lot more in her post-labour days in the hospital Meredeth didn't need a wheel chair to head downstairs to the Nissan, and had just finished buckling Max and herself in when she heard the busy-bee voices of her children.

'You have to be q-quieter, Tah-rini, Max is in the car and he is suh-noozing,' Tessi hissed at her sister, then looked at Meredeth who was tucked into the back seat beside the baby. 'Mami why are you in my suh-pot?'

'We're trading for today, Tessiana, so I can sit back here with Max. That means you'll be up front with your daddy.'

'She luc-ky,' Leo said wistfully.

'Hey, now, no pouting Alejo.' Esposito sat in the driver's seat, turned on the engine once the children were buckled in safely. 'This is a happy day. Mami is healthy and whole, and there's a new baby for us to love and look after.'

'Yea Max! We go home!' Trini clapped her hands together excitedly. ' 'Mon, Daddy! Go-go-go!'

'Okay, my little speed freak.'

But despite Trini's insistence for flooring it, Esposito took the scenic route, listening to Meredeth tell Max about everything they were passing while Max napped softly. By the time they'd made it to two-seventy-one on West Twenty-Fifth Street, Meredeth could feel her body begging for the same thing. It was temporarily put on hold when she saw the rental car in their guest parking slot.

'Who is visiting us, hmm?' she asked Max, as Esposito helped the twins and Tessi out of the car, ushered them to the sidewalk so he could help Meredeth with Max.

'I think it might be a visit from an old friend,' Esposito replied with a knowing grin which had Meredeth narrowing her eyes at her hubby.

'You know something.'

'I know many somethings, including who belongs to that renal car.'

'Let's go find out!' Tessi suggested. 'Like a mysuh-tery.'

But before they'd even taken one more step, the door opened and Meredeth let out an excited cry. 'Terrance!'

Terrance, her grandmother's companion, had Arturo on a short leash and a warm looking coat thrown over his shoulders. 'Hello Esposito family!' he replied happily. 'I have to take the mutt to the curb for his morning reports, then we'll get inside and have tea!'

Meredeth grinned widely - when Constance had died quite suddenly almost four years before, she was uncertain as to how her relationship with Terrance would continue on, but he'd kept up with the family regularly, occasionally visiting and always calling. When Meredeth had been in recovery mode after her surgery, Esposito had called Terrance and at once arranged for them to come down to Miami for a week's holiday stress-free; he'd even booked a two-night cruise for Meredeth and Esposito for a get-better gift in order to give them some time away just the two of them. Once he'd learned she was having a fourth baby and would need extra monitoring Terrance had made it his duty to call and check in with her at least once a week, and that number doubled on weeks when she had appointments with Harvey

In a nutshell, it was like having a grandfather again, and most importantly, Tessi Trini and Leo adored him.

Climbing the short set of steps with Max's carrier in one hand and the other loops through Esposito's arm, she walked into their home and breathed deeply. It smell of home, of something cooking on the stove and the laundry soap and the underlying animal scent of the family pet. Meredeth set Max on the couch, then moved to take off her boots and coat.

'Mami!' Trini looked around in a panic as she saw her mother without the baby. 'Where Max?'

'He's on the couch.'

'No leaf 'lone! He too 'mall!'

'Tah-rini,' Tessi giggled as she helped Leo with the zipper of his ski-jacket. 'He is fine, you worry too much.'

'But he 'mall, Tessi!' Worming her way free of her outside clothes, Trini raced over and stared Max down like he was an alien, or an unstable bomb about to go off. 'I wash.'

'Okay, sweetie, take it easy,' Esposito laughed; Trini was quite the character some days.'

'No 'cared, Max, I here.' Trini reached out and gave her little brother, who was sleeping like an angel, a little stroke of her fingertips over his leg. 'Tee-nee here.'

'Mami, Tee-nee 'caredy-cat,' Leo observed, taking his mother's hand as the two of them walked into the living room. 'She 'scaredy.'

'I don't think she's a scaredy-cat, I think she's just lovingly worried about her brother,' Meredeth replied.

'Mami?'

'Yes, Leo-Lion.'

'Max like me?'

Her heart gave a little hiccup and she sat down, pulled Leo into her lap; now apparently it was the boy twin's turn to be a little uncertain. 'Of course he does, you're going to show him tonnes of stuff.'

'I liddle. I no' know lossa.'

'But you'll learn lots of things and Max will learn them too, because you'll teach him.'

Leo gave a heavy but satisfied sigh. 'I tired, Mami.'

'Then I think we should all go have a nap.'

'Mami, Max 'nooze me?' Trini asked hopefully and pouted when Meredeth shook her head. 'Why?'

'Because,' Esposito interjected; he'd stayed quiet as he'd watched his family get used to the newest member being home. They were so cute and sweet with him, he wondered how he'd been so blessed to have them in his life, have them as the centre of his life. 'Max has to check out his own new digs. Remember, we did the nursery with jungle animals for him and we named all the stuffed animals for him?'

'Oh yeah!'

The door to the house opened and once more, Trini Eagle-Eyes was on alert as Arturo came trotting back over. 'Ah-tie, be nice. Max liddle.'

The dog wandered over, sniffed at Max's feet and sneezed then trotted over to Tessi to bump at her shoulder with his broad forehead.

'Yes, Yes, Artie, I see you there,' Tessi told the dog. 'Is it nap time, boy? I think it is.'

Arturo's ears flew up like periscopes and he raced to the stairs, galumphing up them like a Clydesdale and giving and his young mistress an impatient 'woof'.

'Okay, okay, I'm c-coming, Artie.' She leaned in and gave Max a kiss. 'Suh-leep tight, Max. I will see you soon.'

'You guys too,' Esposito told the twins and of course Trini dug in deep.

'No, wan' 'tay Max.'

'Max is going upstairs for a nap. Everyone is, even Mami and Daddy,' Terrance said on his way into the kitchen, and he gave Meredeth and Esposito a stern, paternal look. 'No arguing, you all need the rest.'

'Yes sir,' Meredeth agreed. 'Javi, why don't you take Max on upstairs, I'll handle Larry, Curly and Moe.'

'I think they're well-handled by Curly. Right Max?' Esposito stood up from the armchair, scooped his boy into his arms and melted a little when Max snuggled against him. 'See, he agrees with me.'

* * *

><p>While his bride and his babies slept, Esposito found himself unable to do so; he was filled with an excited nervous energy. He had his wife and his son home safe and sound, healthy and whole. The labour with Max had been easy, and though Max had been almost a week overdue, Harvey wasn't in any rush to get him out as he wanted the baby to develop in the womb as much as possible. And the labour had been nearly textbook, not like Tessi or the twins had been.<p>

Esposito wondered if that was the universe's joke on them this time around - the hard labours had given them great children so would Max turn out to be their little hellraiser?'

Slipping out of bed quietly, he walked down the hallway to the nursery between the twins' room and Tessi's room, opened the door quietly to see Max was out cold, and God help him, the little man was already snoring.

'Oh man, Max Power, you sound just like Tessi,' he laughed softly. 'That little girl could wake the dead the way she lets it rip.'

Max must have heard his daddy teasing him, for in the next moment, he stirred and made creaking noises in the way of the very-very new to the planet. His little hands, still covered with the thumbless baby mittens, fluttered and waved near his face.

'I'll take that as my cue to leave you sleeping.' Esposito reached down, stroked the soft little head gently. 'Daddy loves you.'

Esposito watched his baby boy, and breathing deeply, let his emotions overtake him. His boy was here, all his babies were here and Meredeth was whole and healthy once more. With as quiet of movements as he could manage he slipped out of the nursery and back into the master bedroom, crawled into bed beside his wife and just held her close; his breath shuddered out in short sobs as he wept against her shoulder.

Meredeth woke to the sensation of Esposito's arms around her, and when she heard his weeping, just wrapped her arms around him so they clung together in the middle of their bed.

'It's okay, babe,' she murmured to him. 'I'm right here, and so is Max.'

'I know. I know. Never do that to me again, okay?'

'I promise.'

'I love you so much Mere.' Esposito pressed his lips to hers. 'I love you.'

'I love you so much right back, Javi.' Meredeth kissed him this time and put her palm to his cheek, rubbed her thumb over his skin. 'You know what else I love?'

'What?'

'Fish and chips. Think we might be able to talk Terrance into cooking or maybe picking up some take out?'

'In a bit. I just want to lay here with you for a little while.'

So they stayed where they were, facing each other and Esposito stroking his hand over Meredeth's belly, now soft and jiggly in her post-partum stage. Down the hallway, their four children slept, watched over by a honey-brown dog. Their house was full again, and they wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
